Malta's measles vaccination coverage rate stands at 99 pct
Xinhua, March 4, 2015 Adjust font size:
The vaccination coverage rate in Malta, where the measles vaccine is made freely available and administered to children, stands at 99 percent, according to figures published by the Maltese government on Tuesday.
These figures come on the heels of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) February 25 demand that policy makers, health care workers, and parents immediately step up vaccination efforts for measles across at-risk age groups.
An official from WHO's European regional office told reporters that seven countries in the region have reported more than 22,000 cases of measles in 2014 and 2015 so far.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious viral disease. In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year. The disease remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.
The largest number of cases was reported by Kyrgyzstan with 7,477 cases since May 2014, and over 7,000 cases reported in the first seven weeks of 2015. A significant number of measles cases in 2014 and 2015 have also been reported by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan and Russia. Endit