Recent findings from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate a remarkable 88% decrease in measles-related deaths from 2000 to 2024 due to global vaccination efforts. Approximately 59 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccine since the year 2000. Despite this extraordinary progress, 2024 saw an estimated 95,000 deaths, primarily among children under five, attributed to measles. Although this figure represents one of the lowest annual death tolls since 2000, any death from a preventable disease is deemed unacceptable.
In 2024, global measles cases surged to an estimated 11 million, showing an increase of nearly 800,000 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, emphasized that measles is the most contagious virus and warned that gaps in vaccination coverage highlight vulnerabilities in collective immunization efforts. He advocated that comprehensive vaccination is essential to prevent costly outbreaks and save lives, ultimately striving for measles elimination on a national scale.
Disparities in measles cases were evident in 2024, with the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region reporting an 86% rise, the European Region showing a 47% increase, and the South-East Asian Region experiencing a 42% uptick. Conversely, the African Region recorded significant successes with a 40% decline in cases and a 50% drop in deaths, attributed to improvements in immunization coverage.
Current statistics reveal that while 84% of children received their initial measles vaccine and 76% completed the two-dose regimen in 2024, these figures fall short of the 95% coverage needed to halt transmission. Approximately 30 million children remain under-immunized, especially in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas throughout the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
The Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) Mid-Term Review highlighted measles as one of the first diseases to surge when vaccination levels decline. Increased outbreaks globally reveal weaknesses in immunization systems and threaten to derail IA2030 objectives, including the goal of eliminating measles.
In 2024, 59 countries reported significant measles outbreaks, nearly tripling reports from 2021 and marking the highest total since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most regions apart from the Americas showed an increase in large-scale outbreaks, emphasizing the growing threat posed by measles. Enhanced surveillance through the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network (GMRLN) has improved outbreak detection, but funding cuts now threaten to widen immunity gaps and exacerbate the situation.
Efforts toward achieving a measles-free world, objectives laid out in IA2030, have progressed slowly, with only 81 countries, or 42%, achieving measles elimination by 2024. The Americas regained elimination status temporarily, but lost it again due to ongoing transmission in Canada. Rising cases persist even in high-income countries, indicating that vaccination coverage must surpass the critical 95% threshold to effectively combat the disease. The report urges countries to sustain political commitment and investments ensuring all children receive both doses of the measles vaccine and to reinforce rapid outbreak response capabilities as essential measures to address and eliminate the disease globally.