UNICEF is warning of a global spike in the contagious disease - with 98 countries reporting a surge
The charity is warning of a global spike in the contagious disease - with 98 countries reporting a surge.He said: "We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease - a vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades."UNICEF said that globally, just 10 countries accounted for more than 74% of the total increase.
Peter Power added: "These cases haven't happened overnight. Just as the serious outbreaks we are seeing today took hold in 2018, lack of action today will have disastrous consequences for children tomorrow." In Ukraine alone, there were 35,120 cases of measles in 2018. According to the government, another 24,042 people were infected just in the first two months of 2019.
The virus can be contracted by someone up to two hours after an infected person has left a room. It spreads through air and infects the respiratory tract.