Latest news with #Paho
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Deaths from measles climb in Mexico, US, and Canada, amid outbreak
NEW YORK, Aug 16 — The Pan American Health Organization (Paho) reported yesterday an increase in measles cases in the Americas, particularly North America, amid rising deaths from the infection in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Why it's important The outbreaks are related to low vaccination coverage, the UN agency said, as 71 per cent of cases occurred in unvaccinated people and 18 per cent in individuals with unknown vaccination status. By the numbers As of August 8, 10,139 cases of measles and 18 related deaths had been confirmed from among 10 countries in the Americas, representing a 34-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024, Paho figures showed. Of those 18 deaths, 14 were in Mexico, three in the United States and one in Canada. Most of the deaths in Mexico occurred in Indigenous people between 1 and 54 years old, Paho said. Key quotes 'Measles is preventable with two doses of a vaccine, which is proven to be very safe and effective. To stop these outbreaks, countries must urgently strengthen routine immunization and conduct targeted vaccination campaigns in high-risk communities,' said Daniel Salas, responsible for immunisation at Paho. Context Measles is highly contagious and spreads rapidly among unvaccinated people, especially children, according to Paho. In the US, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that vaccination rates for several diseases including measles, diphtheria and polio decreased among US kindergartners in the 2024-25 school year from the year before. — Reuters
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Health
- TimesLIVE
US to impose visa restrictions on officials, alleging ties to Cuban labour programme
US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday took steps to revoke or restrict visas for some African, Caribbean and Brazilian officials who Washington DC alleges have ties to a Cuban programme that sends medical workers overseas. The state department revoked the visas of Brazilian ministry of health official Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and former Pan American Health Organisation (Paho) official Alberto Kleiman, Rubio said. Rubio did not name other officials affected, but said they were from Africa, Cuba and Grenada. The Cuban government has blasted US efforts to stop the medical missions, calling them a cynical excuse to go after its foreign currency earnings. Caribbean leaders have previously rejected US accusations of Cuban labour exploitation. 'Cuba's medical co-operation will continue,' Johana Tablada, Cuba's deputy director of US affairs, said on X. 'His [Rubio's] priorities speak volumes: financing Israel genocide on Palestine, torturing Cuba, going after healthcare services for those who need them most,' Tablada wrote.
