Measles deaths have been reduced by 60% globally since 1999, which is a major public health success. This exceeds the global target set by the United Nations to halve measles death from 1999 to 2005, and is largely due to an unprecedented decrease in measles deaths in Africa. The announcement was made by the Measles Initiative – a partnership involving the American Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States), the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Foundation and UNICEF, on the 19th January 2007.
The 75% reduction in measles deaths in Africa is due to the firm commitment and resources of national governments, and support of the Measles Initiative. An important component of the Measles Initiative is that it builds on integrated approaches where some of the measles vaccines are being administered in community-based integrated healthcare programmes. This incorporation of measles vaccination into basic healthcare, directly benefits communities and ensures long-term and sustainable results. In some cases, in addition to the measles vaccine, children are also getting bed nets to protect then against malaria, or vitamin A supplementation.
The challenge now is to reach a new global goal of reducing measles deaths by 90% by 2010 compared to 2000 levels. What this means is that the gains made in countries that have already implemented accelerated measles control strategies must be sustained, and similar strategies must be implemented in countries with high numbers of measles deaths such as India and Pakistan.
