The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that the world is receding in the fight against measles, a disease that can lead to death or disability of children and can be prevented by vaccinations. All but the Americas are seeing an increase in the number of measles cases, she said.

Between January and July this year, more than three times more cases were reported than during the same period in 2018, WHO said.

She added that the number of cases in the world has reached about 365 thousand this year, the highest number recorded since 2006, noting that this figure represents only a small percentage of 6.7 million cases of suspected cases of the disease.

The latest statistics indicate that measles has caused about 109 thousand deaths in 2017.

The largest outbreak was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 155,460 cases, followed by Madagascar with 127,454, and Ukraine with 54,246.

Europe
According to the WHO, the number of measles cases in Europe rose to about 90 thousand in the first half of this year, exceeding the number recorded last year as a whole.

Four countries - Albania, Britain, Greece and the Czech Republic - have lost their measles-free status, the WHO said, warning that Europe was backtracking on its efforts to eradicate the virus.

Measles cases in Europe have doubled in recent years from 5,000 in 2016 to 26,000 in 2017 and to 84,000 last year.

WHO statistics did not include a specific decline in the numbers in the Americas region.

The United States has reported 1,215 measles cases in 30 states, the worst outbreak in the country since 1992, federal health officials said Monday.

Health experts say the virus has spread among school-age children whose parents have refused to give them the vaccine.

"If massive and sustainable immunization campaigns are not carried out in all societies, children and adults will suffer unnecessarily and some will die tragically," said Gunter Pfaff, a senior German health official and head of the WHO's measles advisory committee.

New Zealand
New Zealand authorities on Thursday warned people who have not been vaccinated against measles to stay away from the country's largest city, where the country's biggest outbreak of the disease in decades has worsened.

"If you are considering traveling to or leaving Auckland, you should make sure you are vaccinated at least two weeks before you leave," Assistant Health Minister Julie Ann Ginter said in a statement.

Most international flights to New Zealand land in Auckland.

Data on the outbreak on Monday showed at least 773 confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease across the country so far this year, making it the largest outbreak since 1997.