WHO, UNICEF warn of 'perfect storm' of factors that could cause worldwide measles outbreak - USA TODAY

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The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned on Wednesday of a "perfect storm" of circumstances that could result in a worldwide outbreak of measles as cases of the infectious disease and others continue to rise. 

There were 17,338 reported measles cases worldwide in January and February 2022, according to WHO. That's a 79.3% increase compared to last year when there were 9,665 reported cases in the first two months of 2021. 

The two agencies listed several possible reasons for the increased cases, including disruption in administered vaccines, overcrowding, relaxed social distancing measures from COVID-19 and people being displaced due to conflicts like in Ukraine and Afghanistan. 

"Cases tend to show up quickly when vaccination levels decline. The agencies are concerned that outbreaks of measles could also forewarn outbreaks of other diseases that do not spread as rapidly," the news release says. 

The agencies said there have been 21 "large and disruptive" measles outbreaks since April 2021. Countries with the largest amount of reported cases were mostly in Africa and the East Mediterranean region, with Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Ethiopia with the highest number of cases. They added cases may be underreported due to disrupted surveillance systems. 

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Measles is a highly infectious disease that can be dangerous for babies and children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Known for giving a rash, measles can also result in fevers, coughs and can eventually turn into pneumonia and encephalitis, the swelling of the brain. 

While there is a vaccine available for the disease that is given in two doses, about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people infected with measles are hospitalized, according to the CDC, adding 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children infected with measles die due to complications. 

The CDC said on April 22 vaccination rates, including for measles, among kindergartners dropped one percentage point to 93.9% in the 2020-21 school year. 

There have been two reported cases of measles in 2022, the CDC says. In 2019, an outbreak of the disease resulted in the U.S. almost losing its measles-free status.

The WHO and UNICEF also fear more children will be at-risk due to postponed vaccine campaigns, as 57 campaigns in 43 countries are still postponed due to COVID-19, impacting around 203 million people. Of those campaigns, the agencies say 19 are for measles, putting 73 million children at risk of the disease.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted immunization services, health systems have been overwhelmed, and we are now seeing a resurgence of deadly diseases including measles. For many other diseases, the impact of these disruptions to immunization services will be felt for decades to come," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

"Now is the moment to get essential immunization back on track and launch catch-up campaigns so that everybody can have access to these life-saving vaccines."

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.