Measles, once on the brink of eradication, has resurged, exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic interfering with routine vaccination programs.
(Shutterstock)
The resurgence of measles and whooping cough is troubling. The most effective way to prevent the return and spread of vaccine-preventable diseases is through vaccination and combating vaccine hesitancy.
Gaps in coverage of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles are having significant impacts on global public health.
(AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Adam R Houston, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Jason Nickerson, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Any upsurge in measles is of real concern, but in settings aggravated by poor living conditions and malnutrition, it can be disastrous. It can affect adults, but young children are at particular risk.
A measles virus particle. Measles is one of the most contagious pathogens known.
(CDC and NIAID)
Studies show that health misinformation on social media has led to fewer people getting vaccinated and more lives lost to COVID-19 and other life-threatening diseases.
Tuberculosis is a dangerous bacterial infection of the lungs.
Moyo Studio/E+ via Getty Images
The pandemic has disrupted national immunisation programmes. As a result, the African continent is seeing more outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.
Anna Howe, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Emma Best, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Matthew Hobbs, University of Canterbury
The risk of serious disease outbreaks among NZ children is now very real. Some childhood immunisation rates have dropped from about 80% in early 2020 to 67% by June 2022, and as low as 45% for Māori.
On Aug. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a coronavirus vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use.
Russian Health Ministry/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
As Russia fast tracks a coronavirus vaccine, scientists worry about skipped safety checks – and the potential fallout for trust in vaccines if something ends up going wrong.
A Nigerian child receives a dose of the polio vaccine.
EPA
Postdoctoral Research Fellow | AI for early detection of breast cancer in a real-world screening pop. | Expertise in Machine Learning | Digital Health | Pathology Data Mining | Evidence Synthesis | PhD in Epidemiology & Pop. Health, Australian National University