17 JANUARY 2013 | GENEVA -
The number of measles deaths globally decreased by 71% between 2000 and 2011, from 542 000 to 158 000. Over the same period,
new cases dropped 58% from 853 500 in 2000 to 355 000 in 2011, according to new data released Thursday by WHO, a leading member of the Measles and Rubella Initiative. Although the WHO Region of the Americas1 has sustained measles elimination since 2002, and the WHO Western Pacific Region2 is on track to achieve elimination, large outbreaks of measles are jeopardizing progress in the remaining regions that have these goals.
Success of vaccination coverage
WHO recommends that every child receive two doses of measles vaccine3. The new data, published in this week’s edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and then in WHO’s Weekly Epidemiological Record, show overall progress in reducing deaths is linked largely to increased vaccination coverage.
Estimated global coverage with a first dose of vaccine increased from 72% in 2000 to 84% in 2011. The number of countries providing the second dose through routine services increased from 97 in 2000 to 141 in 2011. Since 2000, with support from the Measles & Rubella Initiative, more than 1 billion children have been reached through mass vaccination campaigns ― about 225 million of them in 2011.
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