The coronavirus pandemic could trigger an outbreak of another contagious disease, measles, say scientists at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne. Their forecast was published in the Lancet.
According to experts, the likelihood of the rapid spread of this acute infectious disease among children is influenced by factors such as missing routine vaccinations of children due to restrictive measures, an increase in poverty, including due to a reduction in social assistance in many developing countries.
“Unvaccinated children are almost 100% likely to have a measles epidemic next year,” said study lead author Kim Mulholland, a professor at the Institute.
Referring to data from WHO , he said that this year about 94 million of children missed routine vaccinations due to immunization procedures delayed due to the pandemic.
“All of the above suggests that next year measles and measles rubella may reach the scale of epidemics that only old doctors now remember,” he concluded.
Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases.
An unvaccinated person has more than 90 percent risk of infection after contact with an infected person.