Child deaths from measles have fallen by 60% following a massive global vaccination campaign. A study in The Lancet confirms that hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved since 1999, surpassing a target of halving deaths by 2005. In Africa, efforts by national governments and health agencies have cut mortality by three-quarters.
Now scientists are considering more ambitious targets, and perhaps even the complete eradication of the disease. Measles is not a major killer in the western world, with the vast majority of children vaccinated against the disease at about two years old. In less developed countries however, the death toll is much higher, as children are far more likely to die from the complications of the disease such as encephalitis, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
In 1999 there were 875,000 deaths worldwide, the majority in Africa. This prompted the creation of the "Measles Initiative" in 2001, a joint campaign between organisations including the American Red Cross, Unicef and the World Health Organisation. This worked with dozens of different governments to increase the numbers of children having the opportunity to be vaccinated early in life. Between 1999 and 2005, more than 360 million children across the world received a measles jab as part of mass vaccination efforts. The "coverage" - or proportion of children getting the first vaccination - has risen from 71% to 77%, say researchers.
In 2005 there were approximately 345,000 deaths from the disease. The tumbling death rates in Africa have been greeted with delight by national governments.
