Is a Measles Epidemic Likely in North Cyprus?

Is a Measles Epidemic Likely in North Cyprus?Ninety-five per cent of a population must be vaccinated against measles in order that a ‘herd immunity’ can be established in order to prevent the spread of the potentially deadly virus. Finding out whether a vaccination programme in North Cyprus has reached anywhere near that level is difficult to discover but in the south it is thought that around 75-80% have been vaccinated. In the first two months of 2019 alone, 34,300 measles cases have already been reported in 42 European countries.

“While global measles deaths have decreased by 84 percent worldwide in recent years — from 550,100 deaths in 2000 to 89,780 in 2016 — measles is still common in many developing countries, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia. An estimated 7 million people were affected by measles in 2016,” the WHO reported.

Measles in adults is far worse than in children but once you’ve had measles once, it’s highly unlikely you’ll get it again as your body is able to build up a resistance. Experts say most adults born before 1970 are likely to be immune because they’ve probably had exposure to measles already.

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