By Mariam Sunny
(Reuters) -Global measles cases fell 71% to 11 million from the year 2000 to 2024, driven by improved vaccination coverage, the World Health Organization said in a report on Friday.
Vaccination has prevented nearly 59 million deaths globally during this period, according to the report.
Deaths dropped even more sharply by 88% to 95,000 in 2024, among the lowest annual tolls since 2000.
However, estimated cases in 2024 rose 8%, while deaths dropped 11%, compared with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a shift in disease burden from low-income to middle-income countries, which have lower fatality ratios, the report said.
Measles is often the first disease to see a resurgence when vaccination coverage drops, the agency said, adding that growing measles outbreaks expose weaknesses in immunization programmes and health systems.
Due to its high transmissibility, "even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger outbreaks, like a fire alarm going off when smoke is detected," said Kate O'Brien, director of the Department of Immunization at WHO.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
Day to day Temporary Positions That Compensate Fairly in the US- Sustaining Public activity and Connections: Key Methodologies
- Tatiana Schlossberg, JFK's granddaughter, dies at 35 after terminal cancer diagnosis
- Conquering Language Boundaries: Individual Accounts of Multilingualism
- One of the best meteor showers of the year peaks at the worst possible time this week
- Dental, Vision, and Hearing Inclusion in Senior Protection.
- Taco Bell debuts its Baja Blast pie, and the reactions may surprise you
- 6 Exemplary Mexican Dishes
- The last penny was pressed by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia today. Could the nickel and dime be next?
