Measles Resurgence Amidst Declining Vaccination Rates: A Global Public Health Threat: A Review

Abstract

Measles is still one of the leading causes of mortality for children globally and is the most contagious disease known to science. It is a highly contagious, and potentially fatal virus, which has resurfaced as a major global public health issue, even in highly industrialized nations. This comeback is mainly due to a worrying decrease in vaccination rates, which has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic's disruptions. Approximately three out of every 1,000 cases of measles result in death. Measles has no known cure, but vaccinations have been a preventive measure since the 1960s. Even though measles still causes a great deal of morbidity, and death worldwide, there has been a lot of progress. Measles killed an estimated 777,000 people worldwide annually just twenty years ago in 2000. It killed 128,000 people worldwide in 2021. According to the analysis, measles outbreaks were widespread in 37 nations in 2022 as opposed to 22 the previous year. There were outbreaks in 37 countries, with 28 in Africa, 6 in the eastern Mediterranean, 2 in Southeast Asia, and 1 in Europe. Despite the recent year's decline in measles infection, this year it has resurged, both around the world and in Iraq. According to the Control Disease Center (CDC), Iraq ranked number five of countries with the most measles outbreaks between August 2023 and January 2024.  Nearly, in Iraq, the current number of cases is three times more than in all of 2008, since the beginning of the year around 1,000 cases continue to be recovered every week, while over than 22.000 children have been infected. At the end of March ninety-three children had perished. The rise is attributed to the low immunity of the reduced coverage population that has resulted from reduced coverage of routine vaccination during 2005-2008 due to insecurity. The spread of this disease among school students is being noticed across the Iraq governorates and health authorities. This article highlights the critical need for a reinvigorated worldwide commitment to measles vaccination programs, looks at the alarming rise in measles cases, and investigates the factors causing a reduction in vaccinations.