Measles deaths fall by 60 per cent

Deaths from measles have fallen by 60 per cent since 1999, surpassing the target set by the United Nations (UN).

According to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), global measles deaths fell from about 873,000 in 1999 to 345,000 in 2005.

A goal of reducing them by half by 2005 was initiated by the UN in 2002.

The fall is largely due to an unprecedented decline in measles deaths in Africa, WHO reports in today’s edition of the Lancet medical journal.

Although a measles vaccine has been available for over 40 years, the disease has remained one of the largest childhood killers, especially in developing countries.

To target this, WHO and Unicef launched a comprehensive immunisation strategy in 45 countries.

From 1999 to 2005, WHO claims 7.5 million measles deaths were prevented through immunisation.

“One of the clearest messages from this achievement is that with the right strategies and a strong partnership of committed governments and organisations, you can rapidly reduce child deaths in developing countries,” said Dr Julie Gerberding, director of United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan added: “This is an historic victory for global public health, for the power of partnership and for commitment by countries to fight a terrible disease.”

A new goal of reducing measles deaths by 90 per cent by 2010 has now been set; a target which medical experts believe can be achieved through collaboration.