By Maxwell Awumah, GNA
Ho, Nov 3, GNA – Two new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies has provided updated estimates of the global burden of measles and pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.Â
According to the studies, available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), measles remains a leading cause of vaccine-preventable burden among children, particularly in low-income settings. Despite decades of progress, there are indications of measles resurgence due to stagnation in vaccine coverage.
Using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2023, the researchers systematically assessed measles incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and vaccine coverage (measles-containing vaccine 1 (MCV1) and measles-containing vaccine 2 (MCV2)) among children under 5 years of age across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.
Between 1990 and 2019, global measles incidence and mortality declined by approximately 80% and 90%, respectively, but rebounded sharply after 2020, with 15.6 million cases and 118,000 deaths estimated in 2023 (+40% and +12% increases, respectively, between 2019 and 2023).
Benn Sartorious, Associate Professor and Lead investigator, said Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia continue to bear the highest burden. Global MCV1 coverage rose from 67.2% in 1990 to 83.6% in 2019 but stalled and declined slightly to 81.0% by 2023; with MCV2 coverage increasing from 14.4% in 1990 to 68.4% in 2019 and reached 71.4% by 2023.
The researchers disclosed that several regions remain well below the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) target of 90% coverage.
The recent measles resurgence underscores the fragility of global immunization progress and the urgent need to restore routine vaccination, close immunity gaps and strengthen outbreak preparedness.
In a related study, researchers found that regardless of long-standing immunization programmes, pertussis (whooping cough) remains a major cause of vaccine-preventable mortality, particularly among infants.
A primary assessment of global pertussis incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.
Researchers have shown that despite short-term pandemic-period fluctuations, the dominant global pattern from 1990 to 2023 was long-term decline: age-standardized mortality decreased by 61.2 per cent and age-standardized incidence by 41.6 per cent.
Relative to the anomalously low pandemic-period estimates, incidence and mortality rebounded by 102.6% (95% uncertainty interval, 77.0–128.2%) and 66.1% (95% uncertainty interval, 2.4–174.5%), respectively, between 2020 and 2023.
The researchers say in 2023 alone, an estimated 18.9 million cases and 115,000 deaths attributable to pertussis were uncovered.
Don Mosser, Associate Professor and Principal investigator said “This burden remains profoundly inequitable and inversely correlated with the sociodemographic index; sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for roughly 65% of global deaths, with the highest population-adjusted risk concentrated among infants younger than six months.
Their findings highlight a modeled geographic concentration of pertussis mortality and support strengthening timely infant vaccination, maternal immunization where recommended and feasible and robust surveillance in highly susceptible regions.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reported by: Maxwell Awumah
Email address: [email protected]