Measles cases are soaring around the world, including in areas previously declared measles free, according to the U.N. Children’s Fund.
Last year, 98 countries reported an uptick of measles cases, UNICEF said Thursday, while pinning the “alarming” resurgence of the disease on poor infrastructure and conflict in some cases, and “complacency” and an anti-vaccine movement in others.
“Almost all of these cases are preventable, and yet children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse,” said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF’s executive director.
Just 10 countries accounted for about three-quarters of the total rise, according to UNICEF, which analyzed data from the World Health Organization.
Ukraine, Philippines and Brazil saw the largest increases. In Ukraine, there were 35,120 cases of measles in 2018, up from 4,782 in 2017. The government reported that another 24,042 people were infected in just the first two months of 2019.
Brazil, which had no reported cases in..