The World Health Organization on Thursday called for more action to combat measles outbreaks in 58 countries around the world, including the United States where two children have died, and reiterated that the vaccine is safe and effective.
"No matter what country, as long as an epidemic is ongoing, it is not doing enough. We can only say we have done enough when the epidemic is over," stressed Dr. Kate O'Brien, head of the WHO's immunization and vaccines department, during a press briefing in Geneva.
She did not endorse the criticisms of the Trump administration, and especially of its Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., an outspoken vaccine skeptic and activist.
He is accused of not doing enough to combat the measles outbreak, which has its epicenter in Texas with hundreds of cases and is spreading to several other US states.
RFK Jr. only recently acknowledged the vaccine's effectiveness.
"I just want to remind you that measles is one of the most infectious viruses, and so measles anywhere is, in fact, measles everywhere," the official said, emphasizing that it was also a virus that could be fatal and make people very ill.
If it is spreading today in the United States and elsewhere, it is because the vaccination rate is not sufficient.
"What is clear is that the United States is working to control the epidemic and stop it," the official said, adding that "the most important thing, and I think this has been clearly stated by many people, including the secretary, is that the measles vaccine is the most important intervention to stop this epidemic."
The interruption of smallpox immunization during the Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact.
"So there are 58 countries that have not only outbreaks, but what we categorize as significant and disruptive outbreaks in the last 12 months, which is a substantial increase," the scientist points out.
"So this is not just about one country, but about action that is needed by many countries to really tackle measles, stop measles outbreaks and continue to move towards elimination, which is what all countries have committed to," she insists.
And she reiterated that "the measles vaccine is an incredibly safe vaccine, and incredibly effective. Two doses of measles vaccine confer more than 95% of effectiveness, and a single dose confers more than 90% of effectiveness."
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