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Measles

• Providing at least one dose of measles vaccine, administered at nine months of age or shortly thereafter, through routine vaccination coverage of at least 90 per cent of children in each district and nationally;
• Giving all children a second opportunity for measles vaccination;
• Establishing effective surveillance;
• Improving clinical management of complicated cases – including vitamin A supplementation. Children under five account for 90 per cent of measles deaths

Measles Mortality Reduction Strategy – Frequently Used Figures

A key factor contributing to progress in reducing measles deaths has been the strong support of the Measles Initiative, launched in 2001. The Measles Initiative is spearheaded by the American Red Cross, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).  

UNICEF and WHO have concentrated measles mortality reduction activities in 47 countries that account for 95 per cent of global measles deaths, working primarily to improve routine immunization as well as providing treatment to children with measles and strengthening disease surveillance. Supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) have also proven to be especially effective.

All children in developing countries diagnosed with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements given 24 hours apart. Giving vitamin A at the time of diagnosis can help prevent eye damage and blindness. Moreover, vitamin A supplementation has been shown to reduce the number of deaths from measles by 50 per cent.

The suffering and death caused by measles can be easily prevented through immunization. The measles vaccine is safe, effective and inexpensive. It costs less than one US dollar (consisting of cost of vaccine, injection equipment and operational costs) to immunize a child against measles, making measles vaccination one of the most cost-effective public health interventions available for preventing deaths.

In many countries where the public health burden of rubella and/or mumps is considered to be important, measles vaccine is often incorporated with rubella and/or mumps vaccine as a combined, live, attenuated (weakened) measles-rubella (MR) or measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. If bought through UNICEF, measles vaccine costs about US $0.40 cents per bundled dose, MR vaccine costs about US$ 0.65 per bundled dose, and the price of MMR per bundled dose is in the range of US$1.04-1.50 depending on the manufacturer. Measles vaccine is equally effective whether in the single or in the combined form.

A new global goal was set at the World Health Assembly in May 2005 – to reduce measles deaths by 90 per cent by 2010, compared to 2000 data.

Updated: May 2008