A medieval and deadly epidemic is spreading everywhere including in France, the WHO issues an alert

The WHO is warning of a deadly disease spreading around the world. This is not the first time that this epidemic has spread, it had already spread; caused terrible damage in the Middle Ages.

Epidemics have often wreaked havoc well before Covid-19. The Black Death caused between 25 and 40 million deaths in Europe in the 14th century, and cholera caused the death of between 25 and 40 million people. nearly 100,000 died in less than six months in France in the 19th century and the Spanish flu killed many people. on the European continent 20 à 30 million people in the 20th century. There was also AIDS, which arrived &agrav; at the end of the 1900s and which is still alive today, – no less than two million people per year during its peak.

It was another epidemic that the WHO alerted to in July. She has already done so. wreaked havoc in the past. In 1529, in Honduras in Central America, it cost life for two-thirds of the indigenous population as well as 40,000 people in 1848   Hawaï. It is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus and is transmitted quickly when the infected person coughs or coughs. dull. It can cause complications in some patients because the virus reaches the respiratory system and then spreads throughout the body. It can also weaken the immune system.

The main symptoms, which can appear between 10 and 14 days after exposure to the virus, are fever, cough or a rash all over the body. In 2022, 136,000 people died from this disease, mainly children under the age of five. However, there is a vaccine to protect against this disease. two doses to protect against it. The WHO has found that that this vaccination is in decline. This is why the organization took the initiative. the warning bell about measles.

Nearly 35 million children are not fully vaccinated against the disease. In 2023, 83% of children received at least one dose and 74% were able to have complete vaccination. Figures far from the 95% coverage needed to prevent an epidemic. In the last five years, 103 countries have been implemented. struck by measles.

In France, the epidemic also threatens the population and especially children. The Ministry of Health reported a few weeks ago a significant increase in cases by a factor of 8 in 2023 compared to last year' 2022 and highlighted the existence of pockets of individuals still receptive to the virus, particularly among adolescents and young adults. ;quot;. Health Public France indicates that "in the majorityé cases, travelers returning from a stay in an endemic area have contracted the disease. the disease, returned contagious to France and spread the virus".

"Measles outbreaks are like the canary in the mine, in other words, they expose and exploit gaps in health care. re vaccination and strike the most vulnerable first, explained Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. The organization explains that the Covid-19 pandemic trained distrust of vaccines as well as less surveillance. The administration of vaccines has often been difficult. delayed, or even missed.