[afro-nets] Measles deaths worldwide drop by nearly 40% over five years

[Leela McCullough <leela@healthnet.org>]

Measles deaths worldwide drop by nearly 40% over five years
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WHO News Release

Africa leads effort to halve deaths from a leading child killer
by the end of 2005

4 MARCH 2005 | GENEVA/NEW YORK -- The World Health Organization
(WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today an-
nounced that countries are on target to halve deaths from mea-
sles, a leading vaccine-preventable killer, by the end of this
year. Global measles deaths have plummeted by 39%, from 873 000
in 1999 to an estimated 530 000 in 2003.

The largest reduction occurred in Africa, the region with the
highest burden of the disease, where estimated measles deaths
decreased by 46%.

"Progress of this magnitude is remarkable. I congratulate coun-
tries for their successful efforts in protecting children from
measles," said Dr LEE Jong-wook, WHO Director-General. "I am
certain that with increased commitment from governments and fur-
ther support from the international community, even more can be
accomplished."

Measles is an important cause of childhood deaths. Only a decade
ago, measles killed millions of children each year and affected
30 million more, leaving many with life-long disabilities like
blindness and brain damage.

"In many places where families once lived in fear of losing
their children to measles, they're now protected by an effective
and inexpensive vaccine," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director
of UNICEF. "What clearer proof could there be of the value of
investing in immunization?"

The dramatic decline in measles deaths is made possible through
the commitment of governments to fully implement the WHO/UNICEF
strategy for sustainable measles mortality reduction.

The strategy seeks to achieve routine measles immunization cov-
erage of at least 90% in every district and to ensure that every
child from nine months to 14 years of age receives a "second op-
portunity" for measles immunization through routine services or
supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) every three to four
years. The SIAs have proven especially effective. From 1999 to
2003, more than 350 million children throughout the world were
vaccinated against measles through SIAs.

As measles wards shut down all over the African continent, a
long-term budget item in many hospitals can be freed up to save
children from other diseases.

"We now have the opportunity to replicate this successful model
as we tackle other child killers such as malaria," Bellamy said,
noting that in late 2004, Togo's children received four life-
saving interventions at once. The landmark campaign reached over
95% of the children under-five with vaccines to prevent measles
and polio, mosquito nets to prevent malaria and de-worming tab-
lets.

Millions of children still remain at risk from measles. Malnour-
ished and un-immunized children under five years of age, espe-
cially infants, are at high risk of contracting measles and are
more vulnerable to death. The vast majority of measles deaths
are found in low-income countries. Each year more than 130 mil-
lion children are born and "we must reach each and every one
with measles vaccination," said Dr LEE.

The strong support of the Measles Initiative has been an impor-
tant factor in the marked reduction of measles deaths in Africa.
Launched in 2001, this successful partnership's core founding
members are WHO, UNICEF, the American Red Cross, the United Na-
tions Foundation and the Centres for Disease Control and Preven-
tion of the United States Department of Health and Human Ser-
vices.. Since 2001, the Initiative has mobilized more than US
$144 million and has helped African countries vaccinate over 150
million children against measles.

Other key partners include the governments of Australia, Canada,
Japan and the United Kingdom as well as the International Fed-
eration of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Global Al-
liance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation.

RELATED LINKS

http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/index.html
Measles fact sheet

http://www.who.int/wer/en The Weekly Epidemiological Record
http://www.unicef.org/ UNICEF

For more information contact:

Ms Melinda Henry
Telephone: +41 22 791 2535
Mobile phone: +41 79 477 1738
Fax: +41 22 791 4858
mailto:henrym@who.int

Alfred Ironside
UNICEF
Telephone: +1 212 326 7261
mailto:aironside@unicef.org

Hayatee Hasan
WHO
Telephone: +41 22 791 2103
mailto:hasanh@who.int

Erica Kochi
UNICEF
Telephone: +1 212 326 7785
mailto:ekochi@unicef.org


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