Following years of declines in measles vaccination coverage , measles cases in 2022 increased by 18% and deaths increased by 43% globally (compared to 2021). This brings the estimated number of measles cases to 9 million and deaths to 136,000, mostly among children, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). of the United States.
Measles continues to pose an increasing threat to children. In 2022, 37 countries experienced large or disruptive outbreaks compared to 22 countries in 2021. Of the countries that experienced outbreaks, 28 were in the WHO African Region, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in Southeast Asia and one in the European Region.
"The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately not unexpected given the decline in vaccination rates we have seen in recent years," said John Vertefeuille, director of the CDC’s Division of Global Immunization. . “Measles cases anywhere pose a risk to all countries and communities where people are not sufficiently vaccinated. “Urgent and targeted efforts are essential to prevent measles illness and deaths.”
Measles can be prevented with two doses of a specific vaccine.
While 2022 saw a modest increase in global vaccination coverage over 2021, there were still 33 million children who missed a dose of measles vaccine: nearly 22 million missed their first dose and another 11 million missed their second dose. The global vaccination coverage rate of the first dose, at 83%, and the second dose, at 74%, was still well below the 95% coverage with the two doses needed to protect communities from outbreaks.
Low-income countries, where the risk of death from measles is highest, continue to have the lowest vaccination rates, at just 66%; a rate that does not show any recovery from the decline during the pandemic. Of the 22 million children who missed their first dose of measles vaccine in 2022, more than half live in just 10 countries: Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Philippines.
“The lack of recovery of measles vaccine coverage in low-income countries after the pandemic is a warning signal to act. Measles is called the virus of inequality for good reason. It is the disease that will find and attack those who are not protected,” said Kate O’Brien, Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the WHO. “Children around the world have the right to be protected by the life-saving measles vaccine, no matter where they live. “
CDC and WHO urge countries to find and vaccinate all children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases and encourage global stakeholders to help countries vaccinate their most vulnerable communities. Additionally, to help prevent outbreaks, all global health partners at global, regional, national and local levels must invest in robust surveillance systems and outbreak response capacity to quickly detect and respond to outbreaks.
CDC and WHO are founding members of the Measles & Rubella Partnership (M&RP), a global initiative to stop measles and rubella. Under the umbrella of the Immunization Agenda 2030 and guided by the Measles and Rubella 2030 Strategic Framework, M&RP’s mission includes addressing declining national vaccination coverage, accelerating recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and accelerating the progress towards creating a world free of measles and rubella. The partnership also includes the American Red Cross, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, United Nations Foundation, and UNICEF.
