The number of measles deaths worldwide fell 71% (from 542,000 to 158,000), and the number of new cases fell 58% (from 853,500 to 355,000), between 2000 and 2011, according to data published January 18 in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, as well as in the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Weekly Epidemiological Record.

Increased routine measles vaccination (WHO recommends that every child receive 2 doses of the vaccine) appears to be responsible for the reduction.

WHO is a chief member of the Measles and Rubella Initiative, which was founded in 2001 and is also led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the CDC, and the United Nations Children's Fund.

In 2010, the groups established 3 goals to be achieved by 2015:

Increase routine administration of the first dose of measles containing vaccine for 1-year-old children to 90% or more nationally and to 80% or more in every district or equivalent administrative unit. Reduce and maintain measles incidence to fewer than 5 cases per million annually. Lower measles mortality by 95% from 2000 estimates.

WHO has eradicated measles in the WHO Region of the Americas since 2002 and is progressing toward elimination in the WHO Western Pacific Region. Despite successes in these regions, large outbreaks continue in the other regions attempting to eliminate measles.

From 2000 to 2011, global coverage with a first vaccine dose rose from 72% to 84%. The number of countries routinely providing a second dose rose from 97 to 141. With help from the Measles and Rubella Initiative and mass vaccination campaigns, more than 1 billion children have been vaccinated (approximately 225 million children in 2011 alone).

Other regions of the world are not so fortunate. Approximately 20 million children globally received no first dose of the measles vaccine in 2011, 55% of whom reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (0.8 million), Ethiopia (1.0 million), India (6.7 million), Nigeria (1.7 million), and Pakistan (0.9 million).

In 2011, all of these countries and several others reported large measles outbreaks: Democratic Republic of the Congo, 134,042 cases; Ethiopia, 3255 cases; India, 29,339 cases; Nigeria, 18,843 cases; Pakistan, 4386 cases; France, 14,949 cases; Italy, 5189 cases; and Spain, 3802 cases.

In April 2012, the group updated its plan to address measles and rubella together, using the same interventions but with a combined measles–rubella vaccine. The group changed its name from the Measles Initiative to the Measles and Rubella Initiative and set a goal of reducing measles deaths globally by 95% by 2015 and eradicating the 2 diseases in at least 5 of 6 WHO regions by 2020.

The measles outbreaks threaten regional eradication efforts and point to the need for strengthening routine vaccination programs, the CDC notes in the report.

"Resuming progress in reducing measles cases and deaths means strengthening health systems so that they can provide effective immunization services and laboratory-supported surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases to all children," according to a WHO news release. In addition, parents need to know about the benefits of vaccination and the risks associated with not immunizing their children.

Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;62:27-31. Full text

Wkly Epidemiol Rec. 2013;88:29-36. Full text