2024/11/14 by Anna A. Minta, Matt Ferrari, Sébastien Antoni +12 · 1 citation
Mathematics · Medicine · Social Sciences · #COVID-19 epidemiological studies #Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy #Virology and Viral Diseases
paper · pdf · doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7345a4
openalex publication_date 2024/11/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Measles vaccination effectively prevents measles, a highly contagious disease that can cause severe complications and death and requires high population immunity to interrupt transmission. This report describes measles elimination progress during 2000-2023. During 2000-2023, an estimated 60.3 million measles deaths were averted by vaccination. However, despite commitment from all six World Health Organization regions to eliminate measles, no region has successfully achieved and maintained measles elimination as of the end of 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic, estimated global coverage with the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) declined to 81%, the lowest level since 2008. MCV1 coverage improved to 83% in 2022 but was unchanged in 2023. From 2022 to 2023, estimated measles cases increased 20% worldwide, from 8,645,000 to 10,341,000; the number of countries experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks increased from 36 to 57. Estimated measles deaths decreased 8%, from 116,800 in 2022 to 107,500 in 2023, primarily because an increased number of cases occurred in countries with lower risk for death. The stagnation in MCV1 coverage means millions of children remain unprotected, leading to increases in cases and outbreaks. Coverage with measles-containing vaccine (MCV) is lower, and measles incidence is higher, in low-income countries and countries experiencing fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable settings, which exacerbate inequities. Urgent and targeted efforts are needed to ensure that all children receive 2 MCV doses and that surveillance is strengthened to hasten progress toward measles elimination.