A full 92 percent of all suspected and confirmed measles cases reported in World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region (WPR) are from two countries in 2014 to date: The Philippines and China.
In the April 2014 issue of the WHO’s Measles and Rubella Bulletin, the WPR, which includes 17 countries and areas, reported a total of 61,110 suspected and 21,542 confirmed cases of measles this year to date.
Two of the countries in the region, the Philippines and China, account for nine out 10 of the cases. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page.
The Philippines measles outbreak has made the news frequently this year as numerous countries have reported imported measles cases from the archipelago.
To date, the Philippines has reported 26,014 suspected cases, 6,016 confirmed cases and 41 measles deaths from the beginning of the year to Apr. 20.
In China, where measles has been much less publicized, they have recorded 30,778 suspected and 13,779 confirmed cases. Only four deaths were reported.
Of course, the outbreak in the Philippines is more significant as per population. The measles incidence per 1 million population is a whopping 241 cases per 1 million, while China, with a population of over 1.3 billion, is reporting an incidence of 40 cases per 1 million population.
