Measles deaths in Africa plummeted by 91% between 2000 and 2006

between2
,000 and2
006, the estimated number of measles deaths in Africa decreased from 396,000 to 36,000, a decrease of 91 per cent, four years ahead of the United Nations target of reducing measles deaths by 90 per cent by 20102010The achievements made in Africa have contributed to a significant reduction in the number of measles deaths worldwide, with the estimated corresponding number of deaths falling from 757,000 to24
2
,000, and a worldwide decrease of 68 per centAnnouncing this progress on 29 November 2007 were the founding partners of the Measles Initiative: the American Red Cross, the united states ofthe United NationsChildren'sFoundation, theUnited Nations Foundation, thethe United States center for diseasecontrol and prevention in the, and WHOThe data will be published in the Who Weekly Report on Outbreaks, published on 30 November, in the UsCenter for Disease
Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Death Weekly" This is a major public health achievement and an honour for the countries of the African region that have made an effort," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General"We need to sustain this achievement and intensify our efforts in other parts of the world, because the disease still kills too many people."The commitment of Governmentsthe significant reduction in measles deaths in Africa is due to their strong commitment to the full implementation of measles reduction strategies, including through regular health services,measles vaccination against all
children under the age of 1 and providing a second chance to be vaccinated against measles through mass vaccinationcampaigns" The clear message from this achievement is that this strategy works," said DrJulie Gerberding, director of the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "The next step is to fully implement this strategy in South Asia, which now has the highest burden of measles disease in the world." Mass vaccination campaigns have a significant impact on reducing global measles deaths From 2000 to 2006, it is estimated that some 478 million children between the ages of 9 and 14 were vaccinated against measles through vaccination campaigns in 46 of the 47 priority countries severely affected by the disease In 2006, global routine measles vaccination coverage increased for the first time from 72 per cent in 2000 to an estimated 80 per cent The greatest progress in vaccination coverage has been in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region The power of strong partnerships "the dramatic decline in measles deaths in Africa and the strong progress being made worldwide demonstrate the power of strong partnerships and the impact they can have on child survival," said ANN M Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF "But measles still kills nearly 600 children under the age of 5 every day, an unacceptable reality today that we can prevent the disease with safe, effective and affordable vaccines." "
a number of major challenges remain to be addressed in order to achieve the goal of reducing global measles deaths by 90 per cent between 2000 and 2010 Large countries with high measles deaths, such as India and Pakistan, need to fully implement proven control strategies Currently, about 74 per cent of measles deaths worldwide occur in South Asia In addition, countries that have implemented accelerated measles control activities must sustain the progress they have made This means that all measles-focused countries must continue to carry out follow-up vaccination campaigns every two to four years until their regular immune systems are able to provide measles vaccination to all children Mobilization is critical
"Through the tireless efforts of millions of health workers and volunteers from the Red Cross and Red Crescent family, as well as dedicated partners such as Latter-day Saints, we are really going door-to-door to inform and mobilize mothers and caregivers on the critical need to vaccinate children," said Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, president of the American Red Cross Council "These mobilizations are essential to our success and help us to serve more than 95 per cent of vulnerable people and save countless lives." A key factor driving progress in reducing measles deaths is the measles initiative and the strong support of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization Since its inception in 2001, the Measles Initiative, with the help of partners such as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, has supported vaccination efforts in more than 50 countries and raised more than $470 million " Without the cooperation of a large number of partners, it would not have been possible to succeed in reducing measles deaths These partners include volunteer from governments
, United Nations , non-governmental organizations, businesses and local communities, their unique strengths and resources that are critical to success ," said Kathy Calvin, executive vice president and head of operations at the "Our partners are united in protect children around the world from measles , and we commend ." Background: The Measles Initiative is a partnership to reduce measles deaths globally Launched in 2001,
the initiative to provide technical and financial support to governments and communities in vaccination campaigns, led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, unICEF and WHO Other key partners in the fight against measles include the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Becton Dickinson Corporation, the Izumi Foundation, the Vodafone Group Foundation, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and countries and governments affected by measles