World Health Organization Calls for Increased Urgency of Vaccination Efforts as Global Measles Deaths Rise

Despite decades of successful immunization campaigns, measles continues to pose a serious global health threat, with an estimated 107,500 deaths recorded in 2023—most of them children under five. This resurgence comes amid stagnating vaccination rates and weakened health infrastructure, particularly in low-income countries and regions affected by conflict or disaster. Public health experts warn that without renewed global commitment to measles vaccination and surveillance, further outbreaks and preventable deaths are likely.

Measles remains one of the world’s most contagious diseases, transmitted through the air by coughing or sneezing and capable of lingering on surfaces or in the air for up to two hours. A single infected person can infect up to 90% of their unvaccinated close contacts. Before widespread vaccination efforts began in 1963, the virus caused approximately 2.6 million deaths annually. While vaccination reduced that figure dramatically—down to an estimated 107,500 in 2023—the plateau in immunization coverage is a growing concern.

Although a safe and cost-effective vaccine has been available for decades, only 83% of children globally received the first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023, down from 86% in 2019. Even fewer—just 74%—received the second dose needed for full protection. Roughly 22 million infants missed at least one vaccine dose last year. World Health Organization states the decline is attributed in part to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which hindered routine immunization services and disease surveillance around the world.

Unvaccinated children, especially those who are malnourished or have weakened immune systems, remain the most at risk. Complications from measles can include pneumonia, encephalitis, severe diarrhea, and blindness. The disease also weakens the immune system, leaving survivors more vulnerable to other infections. In countries with limited healthcare access, these complications often prove fatal. Measles outbreaks are particularly dangerous in refugee populations and areas where healthcare systems are damaged or overstretched.

WHO and its partners—including UNICEF, the CDC, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation—are working through the Measles & Rubella Partnership to reverse these trends. Their initiatives aim to strengthen vaccination campaigns, reinforce disease monitoring through the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, and help countries identify and close immunity gaps. The effort is part of the broader Immunization Agenda 2030, which treats measles as a key indicator of national healthcare delivery.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from a World Health Organization press release.

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