The Unfinished Measles Immunization Agenda

Vaccination News Home Page            Scandals            subscribe Vaccination NewsLetter

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/journal/issues/v187nS1/021075/brief/021075.abstract.html

The Journal of Infectious Diseases    2003;187:S1-S7
© World Health Organization 2003. All rights reserved. The World Health Organization has granted the Publisher permission for the reproduction of this article.
0022-1899/2003/18710S-0001

 

Go to full text | Return to Issue Table of Contents

SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE

The Unfinished Measles Immunization Agenda

Peter Strebel,1 Stephen Cochi,1 Mark Grabowsky,2 Julian Bilous,3 Bradley S. Hersh,3 Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele,4 Edward Hoekstra,4 Peter Wright,5 and Samuel Katz6

1Global Immunization Division, National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; 2International Services, American Red Cross, Washington, DC; 3Expanded Programme on Immunization, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; 4United Nations Children's Fund, New York, New York; 5Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; 6Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina

 

Despite achieving and sustaining global measles vaccination coverage of about 80% over the past decade, worldwide measles remains the fifth leading cause of mortality among children aged <5 years. In May 2002, the United Nations Special Session on Children endorsed the goal of reducing measles deaths by half by 2005. Countries and World Health Organization (WHO) regions that adopted aggressive measles control or elimination strategies have shown excellent results. In 2001, countries in the Americas reported an all time low of 537 confirmed measles cases. Substantial progress in measles control has also been achieved in the WHO Western Pacific Region, in seven southern African countries, and in selected countries in WHO European, Eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian regions. The ongoing measles disease burden and availability of safe and effective measles mortality reduction strategies make a compelling case to complete the unfinished agenda of measles immunization.

 

Go to full text | Return to Issue Table of Contents

 

Vaccination News Home Page

 

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.