LONDON: They are known as the “zero-dose children” — infants who have received neither of the two measles vaccine doses needed to protect them from a disease that kills 95,000 children globally each year.
Save the Children says ongoing conflict across the Middle East and North Africa is pushing that number higher at a frightening rate and increasing the risk of preventable deaths.
Measles is a highly contagious disease, especially among children already weakened by other medical conditions.
An estimated nine out of 10 non-immunized children who come into contact with an infected person will contract the airborne virus. Complications can include blindness, severe breathing problems and encephalitis, swelling of the brain.
According to guidance from the World Health Organization, complications are most common in children under five years old, especially those who are malnourished or have weakened immune systems.
