Latest news with #PAHO
CBC
24-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Canada achieved measles elimination status in 1998. Now, it could lose it
As Canada's measles outbreak continues to grow, the country is at risk of losing its measles elimination status — a bar set by the World Health Organization. "The risk is substantial," said Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician with Public Health Ontario who has been tracking the measles outbreak in that province. Ontario is now reporting more measles cases each week than it once saw over an entire decade, Wilson said. "It is a very different situation than what we experienced in the last decade since measles elimination was achieved," she said. Measles elimination is reached when a virus is no longer endemic — circulating regularly — in a certain country or region. It's different from eradication, which is when person-to-person transmission has been eliminated globally. A country can lose elimination status when transmission of the virus continues for one year or more. Canada's outbreak began in October 2024. That means if sustained transmission continues until October 2025, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) can revoke the elimination status. Canada currently has more cases than any other country in the Americas, according to PAHO. Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows measles cases continue to spread to more provinces and territories. The largest outbreak is in Ontario where there have been 1,795 cases since October, according to the latest numbers from Public Health Ontario. Alberta's outbreak is growing too, with more than 500 cases as of Friday. While losing elimination status might not affect Canadians' day-to-day lives, Dr. Santina Lee, a pediatric infectious disease specialist in Winnipeg, said it would be an unfortunate marker. "It would definitely feel like a bit of a step back," said Lee, given that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. "For an infection like measles where we do have the tools, and to not be able to use them to the full extent that they are available, I think definitely is a challenge." Measles concerns in the Americas PAHO is the body that verifies measles elimination status in the region, which is made up of 35 member states. The region as a whole was the first in the world to eliminate measles in 2016. It lost that status three years later, because of outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil, but re-gained it in 2024. The U.K. and U.S. have also seen the return of transmission in recent years, with the U.S. coming close to losing its elimination status in 2019. Brazil was able to end its outbreak thanks to targeted vaccine campaigns in priority communities, expanding molecular testing to identify the virus and training rapid response teams, according to PAHO. Now, the region is at risk of losing that status again, if Canada's outbreak isn't contained in the coming months. "We're hoping that Canada is going to stop the outbreaks and they're going to maintain the verification, but this is something uncertain," said Dr. Daniel Salas, executive manager for the Comprehensive Special Program on Immunization at PAHO in Washington, D.C. While Salas said the status itself is symbolic, losing it represents an increased risk across the region. "What we are more concerned about is all those disruptions of burden of disease, the mortality that measles can cause and, unfortunately, the situations of fragility," he said. That includes people living in poverty, without access to timely health-care services and children suffering from malnutrition who can be more susceptible to complications or death. Worldwide, more than 100,000 people — mostly children under the age of five — died from measles in 2023, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That same year, 22 million infants missed at least one dose of the measles vaccine. The WHO estimates vaccines prevented around 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Can Canada reverse course? Canada last went through the verification process in November of 2024, according to infectious diseases specialist Marina Salvadori, a senior medical advisor at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and is now preparing for the next one. It will look at a range of elements including the number of cases Canada has, the country's laboratory standards and immunization rates. With just five months left before that crucial one-year mark, Salvadori said she wouldn't be surprised if the outbreak continues past October. Still, even if Canada loses elimination status, Salvadori is confident the country could regain it through continued vaccination pushes. Because measles is one of the most contagious viruses humans can catch, 95 per cent of the population needs to be immunized to reach herd immunity, meaning the population is considered well-protected. Canada's vaccination rate is below that threshold. First-dose coverage declined between 2019 and 2023, from 90 to 83 per cent, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. "What I really don't want to see is true endemicity, where children are at risk and where this is a normal childhood infection. Because there's nothing normal about measles. It's a serious, serious infection," Salvadori said. Measles can have dangerous consequences, especially for children, she said, including pneumonia, swelling of the brain and even death. Cases are primarily spreading among people who are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. In Ontario, for example, nearly 90 per cent of the cases are among those who are not immunized. Public Health Ontario's Dr. Wilson said that makes stopping the virus difficult. In Manitoba, which is also experiencing an outbreak, provincial health officials have expanded vaccine eligibility in the most affected regions, offering shots to children aged six months to one year, in addition to the routine schedule that starts at 12 months. Dr. Lee, in Winnipeg, said there is still time for people hesitant about vaccines to reconsider.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What would a world without mosquitoes look like?
In 1958, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) made a milestone announcement: they had exterminated the mosquito Aedes aegypti–a transmitter of the deadly diseases dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever–from Brazil. This represented the culmination of decades of work. In the 1930s, an ambitious inspection regime removed any sources of stagnant water–key mosquito breeding grounds–in areas where A. aegypti had been detected. Authorities eased this onerous system in the years after World War II as they found success in wiping out mosquitoes with a new weapon: the insecticide DDT. PAHO didn't stop at the Brazilian border; by the mid-1970s, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Paraguay were among nine South and Central American countries to have eradicated A. aegypti. This had significant epidemiological impacts: dengue and other conditions virtually disappeared from the DDT-soaked countries, and the specter of these conditions retreated from the continent. Unfortunately, the story was far from over. Mosquito control efforts failed to account for how persistent A. aegypti could be. It was never eradicated from Columbia or Guyuna. Within just a few decades of PAHO's declaration, dengue re-emerged. Worse still, DDT, PAHO's bug spray of choice, was revealed to have horrific effects on biodiversity in sprayed environments. Public sentiment turned against this indiscriminate tool after the publication of books like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Fast-forward to today. Last year was one of the worst on record for dengue in South America in the face of a resurgent A. aegypti. New mosquito-borne diseases like Zika have emerged. The dream of a pest-free South America is further away than ever. However, the goal of squashing mosquito-borne diseases is still paramount for Scott O'Neill, CEO of the World Mosquito Program, a network of companies spun out of Monash University. O'Neill explains that his program aims not to suppress mosquitoes but to help them fight the viruses that infect them and turn them into disease vectors. The WMP's approach involves the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. 'Around 50 percent of all insects naturally have Wolbachia,' explains O'Neill. The bacterium cannot survive outside hosts' bodies and infects many organs in A. aegypti. The WMP breeds huge populations of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia and releases them into the environment. Inside A. aegypti mosquitoes, disease-causing viruses also exploit their hosts' cells to reproduce. O'Neill aims to create a population of mosquitoes in which these viruses have to compete with Wolbachia. Fighting Wolbachia inside an insect is like trying to arm wrestle a polar bear in a Siberian snowstorm. The bacterium has developed various ingenious tools to make itself the dominant symbiote. O'Neill explains that it alters the lipid profile inside mosquitoes' cells, making it harder for them to reproduce. It even boosts the antiviral responses of the A. aegypti immune system, helping the mosquito fight off its competitors. [Related: ] No further intervention is needed after the initial injection of Wolbachia-infected insects. Over time, Wolbachia will naturally spread through the mosquito population and the number of bugs that can become infected with viruses declines. WMP say this approach has slashed rates of dengue in Australia and Columbia. In a controlled trial in Indonesia, the technique reduced virologically confirmed dengue by 77 percent. If A. aegypti was somehow wiped from existence, it wouldn't significantly harm the ecosystems it lives in, says O'Neill. That's because it largely ignores environments where other animals live, unlike other species of mosquitoes that are food sources for frogs and fish. 'It lives in cities, and it's exquisitely adapted to biting humans,' says O'Neill. Some scientists suggest that if every mosquito species were to disappear, there would be significant impacts on bird populations. However, this is contested by other researchers who say they aren't an irreplaceable part of these birds' diet. Some mosquitoes are pollinators, although very few plant species are only pollinated by mosquitoes. In short, the loss of all mosquito species would be felt by ecosystems, but to a much lesser extent than the loss of vital pollinators like the honey bee. Our efforts to remove even one ecologically unimportant mosquito species have fallen short for now. O'Neill says that entomologists call A. aegypti the 'cockroach of the mosquito world' for good reason, and its tenacity and widespread range mean that we are unlikely to see a world without this buzzing pest any time soon. This story is part of Popular Science's Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you've always wanted to know? Ask us.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
PAHO warns against vaccine hesitancy in Latin America amid rise in measles, yellow fever
London: The Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday it is seeking collaboration with neighboring countries to fight vaccine hesitancy for yellow fever and measles among populations in parts of the region this year. The organization's director, Jarbas Barbosa, made the announcement the same day U.S. researchers warned the country is at a critical juncture in measles' return, a quarter century after it was declared eliminated there, due to several outbreaks. "Measles is one of the most contagious illnesses in the world," Barbosa said. "Countries have faced difficulties maintaining the recommended 95% MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine coverage, leaving us susceptible to imported cases," he added. Health experts say 95% of the population must be inoculated to provide community protection for those unable to receive the vaccine, such as babies under 6 months old. PAHO has identified localized measles outbreaks in six an countries in the region, with 2,313 reported cases so far this year, a considerable increase from the 215 cases for the same period last year. Three deaths have been confirmed, and one more is under investigation. Since the start of 2025, the U.S. has registered a dozen outbreaks and at least 800 measles cases, including 624 infections and two deaths in Texas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yellow fever cases have also risen this year on the continent with 189 cases in four countries and 74 deaths, according to PAHO. A week ago, the Colombian government declared a sanitary emergency given the increase in cases, with 74 confirmed infections and 34 deaths. "PAHO is working with countries to combat vaccine hesitancy, strengthen routine immunization programs, and broaden access to vaccines so we can face these cases," said Barbosa. Vaccine misinformation has fueled hesitancy in recent years, particularly in the United States, where false claims linking vaccines to autism gained traction. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted such views, contrary to scientific evidence
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
PAHO warns against vaccine hesitancy in Latin America amid rise in measles, yellow fever
By Raul Cortes (Reuters) -The Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday it is seeking collaboration with neighboring countries to fight vaccine hesitancy for yellow fever and measles among populations in parts of the region this year. The organization's director, Jarbas Barbosa, made the announcement the same day U.S. researchers warned the country is at a critical juncture in measles' return, a quarter century after it was declared eliminated there, due to several outbreaks. "Measles is one of the most contagious illnesses in the world," Barbosa said. "Countries have faced difficulties maintaining the recommended 95% MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine coverage, leaving us susceptible to imported cases," he added. Health experts say 95% of the population must be inoculated to provide community protection for those unable to receive the vaccine, such as babies under 6 months old. PAHO has identified localized measles outbreaks in six an countries in the region, with 2,313 reported cases so far this year, a considerable increase from the 215 cases for the same period last year. Three deaths have been confirmed, and one more is under investigation. Since the start of 2025, the U.S. has registered a dozen outbreaks and at least 800 measles cases, including 624 infections and two deaths in Texas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yellow fever cases have also risen this year on the continent with 189 cases in four countries and 74 deaths, according to PAHO. A week ago, the Colombian government declared a sanitary emergency given the increase in cases, with 74 confirmed infections and 34 deaths. "PAHO is working with countries to combat vaccine hesitancy, strengthen routine immunization programs, and broaden access to vaccines so we can face these cases," said Barbosa. Vaccine misinformation has fueled hesitancy in recent years, particularly in the United States, where false claims linking vaccines to autism gained traction. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted such views, contrary to scientific evidence.
Reuters
24-04-2025
- Health
- Reuters
PAHO warns against vaccine hesitancy in Latin America amid rise in measles, yellow fever
April 24 (Reuters) - The Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday it is seeking collaboration with neighboring countries to fight vaccine hesitancy for yellow fever and measles among populations in parts of the region this year. The organization's director, Jarbas Barbosa, made the announcement the same day U.S. researchers warned the country is at a critical juncture in measles' return, a quarter century after it was declared eliminated there, due to several outbreaks. "Measles is one of the most contagious illnesses in the world," Barbosa said. "Countries have faced difficulties maintaining the recommended 95% MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine coverage, leaving us susceptible to imported cases," he added. Health experts say 95% of the population must be inoculated to provide community protection for those unable to receive the vaccine, such as babies under 6 months old. PAHO has identified localized measles outbreaks in six an countries in the region, with 2,313 reported cases so far this year, a considerable increase from the 215 cases for the same period last year. Three deaths have been confirmed, and one more is under investigation. Since the start of 2025, the U.S. has registered a dozen outbreaks and at least 800 measles cases, including 624 infections and two deaths in Texas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yellow fever cases have also risen this year on the continent with 189 cases in four countries and 74 deaths, according to PAHO. A week ago, the Colombian government declared a sanitary emergency given the increase in cases, with 74 confirmed infections and 34 deaths. "PAHO is working with countries to combat vaccine hesitancy, strengthen routine immunization programs, and broaden access to vaccines so we can face these cases," said Barbosa. Vaccine misinformation has fueled hesitancy in recent years, particularly in the United States, where false claims linking vaccines to autism gained traction. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted such views, contrary to scientific evidence.
