Measles
World Health Organization
About Measles
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is spread through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing.
How did it start?/Why is it happening?
Francis Home demonstrated in 1757 that measles was caused by an infectious agent in the blood. Most cases in the U.S. don't originate outside of the country.
Is it still a problem?
Today there are about 60 cases in the U.S. each year. Before the vaccine, about 450-500 people died and 48,000 people were hospitalized from measles. It is still very common in other parts of the world, especially Africa and Asia. An average of 20 million people in the world are affected each year, killing about 164,000.
What Does The Organization Do?
WHO recommends immunization for all children and adults who are likely to be harmed by measles, and that all children with 2 doses of measles vaccine should be the standard for all national immunization programs.
WHO could potentially be resolve the issue with the efforts they are making to reduce the number of people getting measles, and spreading it.