WHO: Measles deaths decline, but elimination progress stalls in some regions
Improved vaccination rates critical for success
17 January 2013 | GENEVA – The number of measles deaths globally decreased by 71% between 2000 and 2011, from 542,000 to 158,000. Over the same period, new cases dropped 58% from 853,500 in 2000 to 355,000 in 2011. Although the WHO Region of the Americas has sustained measles elimination since 2002, and the WHO Western Pacific Region is on track to achieve elimination, large outbreaks of measles are jeopardizing progress in the remaining regions that have these goals. Estimated global coverage with a first dose of measles vaccine increased from 72% in 2000 to 84% in 2011. The number of countries providing the second dose through routine services increased from 97 in 2000 to 141 in 2011. Since 2000, with support from the Measles & Rubella Initiative, more than 1 billion children have been reached through mass vaccination campaigns ― about 225 million of them in 2011.

An estimated 20 million children worldwide did not receive the first dose of vaccine in 2011. More than half of these children live in five countries:
– the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (0.8 million)
– Ethiopia (1 million)
– India (6.7 million)
– Nigeria (1.7 million)
– Pakistan (0.9 million)

Measles outbreaks
In 2011, large measles outbreaks were reported in all these countries and several others.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2013/measles_20130117/en/index.html

The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) for 18 January 2013, vol. 88, 3 (pp 29–36) includes:
– Progress in global control and regional elimination of measles, 2000–2011

http://www.who.int/entity/wer/2013/wer8803.pdf

The MMWR for January 18, 2013 / Vol. 62 / No. 2 includes:
– Global Control and Regional Elimination of Measles, 2000–2011

– Early Estimates of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness — United States, January 2013