Progress Toward Regional Measles Elimination — Worldwide, 2000–2014

Abstract

In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), with MDG4 being a two-thirds reduction in child mortality by 2015, and with measles vaccination coverage being one of the three indicators of progress toward this goal.* In 2010, the World Health Assembly established three milestones for measles control by 2015: 1) increase routine coverage with the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) for children aged 1 year to ≥90% nationally and ≥80% in every district; 2) reduce global annual measles incidence to fewer than five cases per million population; and 3) reduce global measles mortality by 95% from the 2000 estimate (1).† In 2012, the World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Vaccine Action Plan§ with the objective to eliminate measles in four World Health Organization (WHO) regions by 2015. WHO member states in all six WHO regions have adopted measles elimination goals. This report updates the 2000–2013 report (2) and describes progress toward global control and regional measles elimination during 2000–2014. During this period, annual reported measles incidence declined 73% worldwide, from 146 to 40 cases per million population, and annual estimated measles deaths declined 79%, from 546,800 to 114,900. However, progress toward the 2015 milestones and elimination goals has slowed markedly since 2010. To resume progress toward milestones and goals for measles elimination, a review of current strategies and challenges to improving program performance is needed, and countries and their partners need to raise the visibility of measles elimination, address barriers to measles vaccination, and make substantial and sustained additional investments in strengthening health systems.

A cross-sectional vaccination coverage study in preschool children attending nurseries-kindergartens: Implications on economic crisis effect

“…4,25 Coverage of the total study population with one MMR dose (97.3%) was well over the required rate (95%) to interrupt measles virus transmission, while timeliness by 24 months fell just short (94.5%), with no statistically significant difference between population groups. MMR coverage was slightly lower than before the crisis, but timeliness has improved.…”

Beyond vertical and horizontal programs: a diagonal approach to building national immunization programs through measles elimination

“…health systems strengthening) [1]. Global progress on measles vaccination has saved millions of lives -an estimated 17.1 million between 2000 and 2014 -and has the potential to save many more, especially if countries begin using measles elimination to build up their overall national immunization programs [2].…”

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“…122 Ya que estas enfermedades requieren esfuerzos de control constantes, reducir abruptamente la ayuda tendrá como resultado el resurgimiento de enfermedades y muertes evitables. Estos programas enfrenten una paradoja: entre más exitosos son, más invisibles se vuelven las enfermedades para los responsables del diseño de las políticas, lo que incrementa el riesgo de que se retire el financiamiento.…”