Global Measles Deaths Down by 78 Percent

A heavy-hitting partnership of public hearth organization is putting one of the leading causes of childhood death worldwide in its place, according to a press release. As a result of massive vaccination campaign by the Measles Initiative, deaths from the disease have plummeted 78 percent between 2000 and 2008. The Initiative immunized 700 million children against measles, which prevented an estimated 4.3 million deaths from the disease.

The Measles Initiative is led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization, and partners with many NGOs, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Canadian International Development Agency, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and GAVI Alliance, among many others.

The United Nations maintains a goal of reducing measles deaths by 90 percent from 2000 to 2010, and all regions except one, Southeast Asia, have achieved that goal two years ahead of that deadline. The good news comes with a note of caution, however; immunization experts have made it clear that a resurgence of measles deaths will be likely if the global community eases off on vaccination efforts.

“So much has been achieved in the past several years thanks to the hard work and commitment of national governments and donors. But with only two years until the target date, there are signs of stalling momentum,” warned Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. "This is a highly contagious disease that can quickly take advantage of any lapse in effort."

J. Bond Francisco painting courtesy of freeparking, via Flickr