Geneva: All countries in South-East Asia have been encouraged by the World Health Organization (WHO) to take immediate action to combat measles. With nearly nine million kids failing to receive the disease’s vaccine in the last two years, the disease is on the rise. Measles outbreaks must be stopped and prevented immediately, according to Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of WHO for South-East Asia.
94 percent of people had received their first dose of the measles vaccine by 2019 and 83% had received their second dose, according to the WHO. However, it was lowered to 86% for the first dose and 76% for the second in 2021, leaving nine million children without the measles vaccine and approximately 5.3 million children who had only received a partial dosage.