By Mariam Sunny
(Reuters) -Global measles cases fell 71% to 11 million from the year 2000 to 2024, driven by improved vaccination coverage, the World Health Organization said in a report on Friday.
Vaccination has prevented nearly 59 million deaths globally during this period, according to the report.
Deaths dropped even more sharply by 88% to 95,000 in 2024, among the lowest annual tolls since 2000.
However, estimated cases in 2024 rose 8%, while deaths dropped 11%, compared with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a shift in disease burden from low-income to middle-income countries, which have lower fatality ratios, the report said.
Measles is often the first disease to see a resurgence when vaccination coverage drops, the agency said, adding that growing measles outbreaks expose weaknesses in immunization programmes and health systems.
Due to its high transmissibility, "even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger outbreaks, like a fire alarm going off when smoke is detected," said Kate O'Brien, director of the Department of Immunization at WHO.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
latest_posts
- 1
Our favorite Space.com stories of 2025 - 2Little Urban areas to Visit in Western Europe
- 3Peruvian ex-President Martin Vizcarra sentenced to 14 years in prison
- 4Qatar, Ireland accuse Israel of using chemical weapons on Palestinians, demand watchdog probe use
- 5ISS astronaut evacuation shouldn't interfere with upcoming Artemis 2 moon mission, NASA chief says
- Vote In favor of Your #1 Method for diminishing Pressure
- UN torture cm'tee report flags Israel for allegedly mistreating journalists, detainees, ex-MAG
- Weather forecast, Turkana style: A goat's intestines tell it all
- Pick Your Number one sort of blossom
- Potential Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping could further damage global economy
- Why are NASA's Artemis astronauts wearing orange? What are they bringing to space? What to know about the preparation for their moon mission.
- Step by step instructions to Keep up with Ideal Oral Cleanliness at Home
- 7 Countries Where Newcomers Feel Most Welcome, and 3 Where They Often Don’t
- I watched more than 500 new movies this year. These are the 25 best ones.
