On November 23, the World Health Organization hinted that the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused a resurgence in measles globally. In a statement released by the UN body, the decline in vaccination coverage, reduced measles surveillance, and continued interruptions and delays in immunization activities due to COVID-19 were attributes cited as the reasons for the outbreak.

According to WHO data, nearly 40 million children will miss a measles jab in 2021. The data showed that 25 million children missed their first dose, and an additional 14.7 million children missed their second dose.

Officials from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pointed out that in 2020, nearly 61 million measles vaccine doses were postponed or missed due to COVID-19-related delays in immunization campaigns in 18 countries. They added that in the second year of the pandemic, 9 million cases and 128,000 deaths from measles were reported worldwide.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, stated that the paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programs were badly disrupted. 

(Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/imminent-threat-who-warns-40-million-children-susceptible-to-measles-as-outbreak-intensifies-in-india-86160 )