On Monday, health officials in Kiev said that this year 11 people have died and over 30,000 have been infected in a major measles outbreak in Ukraine, which is the worst hit so far.
The health ministry said that the latest measles victim was a nine-year-old girl who died Saturday due to complication associated with the highly contagious disease.
The virus has infected approximately 30,500 people, including 17,000 children, this year.
The public health officials blamed the shortage of vaccine in previous years and anti-vaccine campaigns that are often driven on the internet spreading false information about the vaccination.
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests a 95-percent vaccination rate to prevent the infection, mass hospitalizations, and fatalities.
However, in Ukraine, by the end of 2016, only 42 percent of one-year-olds had been vaccinated, according to the UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency.
In 2018, measles cases have tripled across Europe, with Ukraine being dominating the chart.
According to the WHO, Europe had more than 83,000 cases last year. In 2018, the Ukrainian government reported 54,000 measles, which included 16 deaths.
In 2019, public health officials have launched a special campaign. They have been sending mobile vaccination teams to rural schools, especially in the hard-hit area where the outbreak is blooming. Measles is a highly contagious disease that is characterized by high-grade fever and a rash. Globally, it is one of the leading causes of death in younger children.
