Measles: a new danger for Ukraine's children! The need for an effective and timely vaccination prevention campaign for an insidious disease that comes from afar

Abstract

Background: Measles, a highly contagious and dangerous disease that can cause disability or even death, remains endemic in Ukraine. This is a serious public health problem that absolutely needs to be monitored. Indeed, in the years 2017-2019, Ukraine was hit by a major measles epidemic, which caused serious problems for the population. The numerous efforts to contain the spread of measles in the country are now waning in the face of a devastating war, which has already lasted for over a year, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has further complicated the general situation.

Method: In this paper, the authors highlight a very serious public health problem and invoke the immediate implementation of an effective vaccination policy.

Discussion: The percentages of measles vaccination coverage in Ukraine have decreased drastically since the beginning of the conflict (which began on February 24, 2022), and this is a source of concern regarding the possibility of a new major measles epidemic. Indeed, a measles epidemic at this time would have frightening consequences, given the conditions in which the Ukrainian population is now living. The United Nations estimates that at least 6 million people have been displaced within Ukraine as a result of the conflict, and this internal mass exodus has significantly affected vaccination coverage and adherence to vaccination schedules, despite the efforts of the Ukrainian health authorities.

Conclusion: The ministry of health has prioritized vaccination programs with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which are ensuring the free supply and delivery of vaccines through the deployment of mobile vaccination teams, even in areas where health facilities are not accessible. The main objective is to vaccinate as many people as possible in order to avoid a new epidemic, which could spread to the whole of Ukraine and also to other countries.

Keywords: Children; Infectious diseases; Measles; Refugee; Ukraine; Vaccine awareness campaign; Vaccine hesitancy.

Fig. 1.

A child with the classic day-4 rash with measles (Public domain image)

Fig. 2.

Lithography of 1912 depicting the different arrangement of the rash in measles and scarlet fever (Private collection).

Fig. 3

Measles - Number of reported cases in Ukraine between 2015 and 2021 (Data from World Health Organization - The Global Health Observatory).