More than half the world is facing high measles risk, WHO says
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More than half of the world’s countries will be at a high or very high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of the year unless urgent action is taken, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Measles is a highly contagious, airborne virus that mainly affects children under the age of five. It can be prevented by vaccination – more than 50 million deaths have been averted since 2000, the WHO says.
But after falling for decades, cases have been rising across most regions, mainly due to missed vaccinations during COVID-19, Reuters reports.