In a report published on Tuesday, January 23, the WHO warned that measles cases in Europe could increase 45-fold between 2022 and 2023. Here are the symptoms of this disease and how to recognize it.
The last year was marked by an enormous return: a measles epidemic. In Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a report shared on Tuesday, January 23, there has been an explosion in cases compared to the previous year.
While 941 cases were reported on the continent in 2022, 42,200 were reported last year, a 45-fold increase for the 41 European countries concerned. In France, for example, at least 64 cases of the disease were identified at a college in the Ardeche. But how to recognize measles and its symptoms?
long intake
As the WHO specification page suggests, measles is transmitted “through droplets (nasal or pharyngeal) of secretions emitted by an infected person”. The period between contact with a sick person and the appearance of symptoms is very long with a delay of 10 to 12 days.
“During this stage, the virus is present in the respiratory tract, multiplies there and spreads throughout the body through the blood circulation,” explains a page dedicated to the disease written by health insurance.
Then, and even before recognizable red patches appear, the sick person should expect the following symptoms: rhinitis (runny nose), conjunctivitis and redness of the eyes, cough, severe fatigue and high fever “up to 39 -40 ° C.
Three to four days after these first symptoms appear, a red rash appears on the skin. To identify them, look for “small, very red, slightly raised spots” on the skin.
Patches appear on the face, forehead and cheeks before reaching the upper body and continuing to the legs. A descent that occurs slowly over a period of about three days.
“Before the typical rash of measles appears, the attending physician can sometimes highlight white spots with the appearance of grains of sand in the mouth, inside the cheeks: this sign is typical of measles but not always present”, also clarifies the health. Insurance.
Complications in 30% of cases
In about one in three infections, complications occur, especially in infants under one year of age, before they are vaccinated. but also in unvaccinated or immunocompromised adolescents and adults.
“The most serious complications are more common in infants under one year of age and in adults over twenty years of age,” we can read on the Amelie website.
A variety of complications may appear. Some are not serious (otitis, laryngitis, diarrhea), others may require hospitalization. These are cases of the appearance of keratoconjunctivitis, a serious eye condition. or, in 1 in 1000 cases, acute encephalitis, a serious neurological complication.
The vaccination effort needs to be restarted
In France, in recent years, compulsory vaccination and immunity resulting from previous measles epidemics have made it possible to significantly reduce the number of cases. However, the vaccination effort should not be relaxed, as urged by UNICEF Director General Catherine Russell on April 28, 2022:
“Measles is more than a dangerous and potentially fatal disease. It is one of the first signs of gaps in global vaccination coverage.”
According to his organization and the WHO, the Covid-19 pandemic has put the brakes on childhood vaccination worldwide due to widespread disruption to health services. In 2020, 23 million children worldwide did not receive basic childhood vaccines through routine health services.
“With the smallpox vaccine we have made smallpox disappear and we no longer vaccinate against smallpox. We can absolutely follow the same logic for measles,” assures Dr. Philipp Reinert, member of the Technical Committee on Vaccination, on Amelie’s site.
Without forgetting that the vaccine has three advantages: it is “safe, effective and affordable” supported by the WHO.
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