Unicef says virus is ‘canary in the coalmine’ that shows up the gaps in vaccination campaigns for preventable illness
Measles cases have surged nearly 80% worldwide this year amid disruption caused by Covid-19, the UN has said, warning that the rise of the “canary in a coalmine” illness indicated that outbreaks of other diseases were likely to be on the way.
Christopher Gregory, senior health adviser in Unicef’s immunisation section, told Agence France-Presse that because measles was the “most contagious vaccine-preventable disease” it often served as a warning sign. “Measles is what we call the tracer, or the canary in the coalmine, that really shows us where those weaknesses in the immunisation system are,” he said.
Somalia recorded by far the most measles cases in the past 12 months, with more than 9,000, the UN data showed, followed by Yemen, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Ethiopia – all countries experiencing some form of conflict.
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