- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
TEHRAN, August 20 - British health officials say they will take "urgent action" to improve vaccination rates after an unusually high number of measles this year has led the World Health Organization to pull its status as a "measles-free" nation.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Britain recorded 231 cases of measles in the first quarter -- two years after it received the WHO designation. Public Health England said Monday the status has been removed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for urgent action to vaccinate children.
Part of the strategy is to ramp up a media campaign to highlight the importance of vaccinations and accurate information to dispel the anti-vaccination movement. Johnson said he's planning a summit among social media companies to help in the effort.
"From reassuring parents about the safety of vaccines to making sure people are attending follow-up appointments, we can and must do more to halt the spread of infectious, treatable diseases in modern-day Britain," Johnson said.
"Losing our 'measles-free' status is a stark reminder of how important it is that every eligible person gets vaccinated," Mary Ramsey, head of immunization at Public Health England, said. "Elimination can only be sustained by maintaining and improving coverage of the [measles-mumps-rubella] vaccine."
The World Health Organization said this month measles cases worldwide have grown to their highest point since 2006. It noted a particular surge in the United States this year, where officials have confirmed the most cases in more than a quarter-century.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged 1,203 cases as of Thursday, the most since 1992. Between Aug. 8 and Thursday, there was a 1.8 percent increase in cases.
Source: upi
Your Comment