Vaccination drive in Kenya in July this year.
Measles vaccines have driven a dramatic global
decline in cases and deaths over the past two decades, according to a new World
Health Organization report released this week.
Since 2000, global measles cases have dropped
by 71 per cent, from an estimated 38 million to 11 million in 2024. Deaths have
fallen even faster, plunging by 88 per cent from 777,000 to 95,000 over the
same period.
Kenya has also made progress, but it still
struggles to reach every child with two doses of the measles vaccine. National
figures show that coverage for the first measles dose is improving, and routine Ministry of Health data indicate that measles vaccination among 12- to
23-month-olds reached about 90 per cent in 2022. Yet the second dose, which is
essential for full protection, remains inconsistent across counties, leaving
gaps that fuel outbreaks.
This vulnerability was underscored by Kenya’s
emergency nationwide campaign in July this year, which vaccinated 5.18 million
children against measles-rubella. The campaign reached 81 per cent of its
target and identified more than 74,000 ‘zero-dose’ children who had never
received a single vaccine.
But the urgency of the campaign reflects
Kenya’s recent measles burden. Between January 2024 and February 2025, the
country recorded nearly 3,000 measles cases and 18 deaths.
The WHO report calls measles vaccination one
of the most successful public health interventions in history.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said it has been
at the forefront of these efforts since 2007, supporting lower-income countries
around the world to deliver vaccines through routine immunisation and
preventive campaigns, as well as respond to outbreaks.
“Over 25 years, Gavi’s partnerships with lower-income countries have saved millions of lives and prevented outbreaks. Over
this time, Gavi has been proud to partner with lower-income countries in their
efforts to reach the most vulnerable children – showing remarkable resilience,
improving vaccination coverage and responding swiftly to emergencies,”
said Rebecca Casey, head of the measles
and rubella vaccine programme at Gavi.
Gavi said since 2007, it has invested US$2.2
billion to support measles and rubella immunisation efforts (including US$1.1 billion in the last five
years alone) through routine immunisation and preventive campaigns across 57
lower-income countries, reaching over 1.3 billion children.
The organisation said in a statement that in
2024 alone, it backed one of its largest pushes against measles, supporting 24
countries to roll out catch-up and follow-up campaigns reaching more than 62
million children.
Still, global coverage has not returned to
pre-pandemic levels. WHO says the first dose of measles-containing vaccine
reached 84 per cent of the world’s children in 2024. That is higher than 2000,
when global coverage stood at 71 per cent, but still below the 86 per cent
reached before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted health systems worldwide.
Because measles spreads so easily, countries
must reach at least 95 per cent coverage with two doses to stop transmission.
Most remain far from that target.
Across Africa, routine immunisation has
steadily improved. The continent increased first-dose coverage from 50 per cent
in 2000 to 71 per cent in 2024. Coverage of the second dose also rose sharply,
from 5 per cent in 2000 to 55 per cent in 2024. The region recorded a 40 per
cent reduction in measles cases and a 50 per cent decline in deaths compared to
2019, WHO said.
Gavi’s Casey warned that the world cannot
afford to slow down. “The rise in measles cases and outbreaks in regions around
the world is a clear warning sign that we must not be complacent in our efforts
to reach and maintain the high coverage rates needed to prevent outbreaks and
deaths. Every child deserves protection from measles, and it is often the most
vulnerable who are at greatest risk.”