Measles is debilitating and deadly and cases are surging, WHO and CDC warn [Video]

Global measles cases surged by more than 20% to an estimated 10.3 million last year, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. About 107,500 people, mostly young children, died — an “unacceptable” death toll from a disease that’s preventable through vaccination, the health groups said.The increase in cases is driven by falling levels of vaccination. Measles can be deadly and debilitating, but it is preventable with two doses of the highly effective measles vaccine. One dose is 93% effective against measles, and two doses is 97% effective.The virus had been completely eliminated from 82 countries in the last 50 years, but lack of access to vaccines and misinformation about vaccine safety has caused the world to backslide. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a global decline in the number of people getting even standard vaccinations.Measles is so highly contagious that 95% …