Canada’s measles cases are half of U.S. total, despite smaller population: WHO
Roughly 186,000 measles cases have been reported worldwide as of July. That's a 12 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
According to the World Health Organization, Canada has half as many confirmed measles cases as the United States, despite having a population that is only about one-tenth the size of its neighbor. As of July 18, the WHO reports 47,459 measles cases across the Americas, which is three times higher than the total number of cases reported all of last year in the region.
Out of these confirmed cases, the United States has accounted for 2,260, while Canada has confirmed 1,107. The organization has also reported that the disease has claimed 45 lives this year in the Americas, primarily in Guatemala and Mexico. The Americas are urged to bolster their vaccination efforts, improve surveillance, and enhance rapid outbreak response measures to combat the rising measles cases.
Daniel Salas, the executive manager of WHO's regional office for the Americas, emphasized in a news release that "Measles leaves no room for complacency." He stressed the importance of achieving high vaccination coverage, early detection of suspected cases, and rapid response to interrupt transmission chains. PAHO warned that North and South America are witnessing their highest number of confirmed cases in over two decades, with approximately 186,000 measles cases reported worldwide as of July, marking a 12 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Written by urgent.news from Global News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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