Deaths from measles have fallen by 60% worldwide since 1999, an achievement that campaigners describe as “a major public health success.” Progress against measles—one of the world's most infectious diseases and a big killer of children—has exceeded the United Nations' goal to halve deaths from the disease between 1999 and 2005, largely because of an “unprecedented decline” in Africa.
The World Health Organization, Unicef, and partners in the Measles Initiative—the American Red Cross, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations Foundation—made the announcement last week.
According to WHO's latest data, global deaths from measles fell from an estimated 873 000 in 1999 to 345 000 in 2005. In Africa, progress has been even greater, with deaths from measles falling by 75%, from an estimated 506 000 to 126 000.
“This is a historic victory for global public health, for the power of partnership, and for commitment by countries to fight a terrible disease,” said Margaret Chan, WHO's director general. “Our promise to cut measles deaths by half and save hundreds of thousands of lives has not only been fulfilled, it has been surpassed in just six years, with Africa leading the way.”
Campaigns to vaccinate children against measles also help to reduce deaths from other causes because they have become a channel for the delivery of other health interventions—for example, antimalarial bed nets, deworming medicines, and vitamin A supplements.
Of the estimated 345 000 deaths from measles in 2005, 90% were of children under 5 years old. Many die as a result of complications related to severe diarrhoea, pneumonia, and encephalitis.
“Reducing measles deaths by 60% in just six years is an incredible achievement,” said Unicef's executive director, Ann Veneman. “Immunising children is clearly saving lives and contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. We must urgently build on this momentum with integrated community based health programmes to help save the lives of over 10 million children who die of preventable causes every year.”
Ms Veneman said that half of these preventable deaths occur in Africa, although it has only 11% of the world's population.
Dr Chan said that “conflict and insecurity remained the greatest challenges to progress,” both because of their disruption of immunisation campaigns and the greatly increased rate of infection and deaths in displaced populations.
The Measles Initiative has also announced a new global goal: the reduction of global measles deaths by 90% by 2010 compared with the levels in 2000. “The gains made in countries that have 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.”
More information is at www.measlesinitiative.org.