Measles in the 21st Century

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 366; no. 19; pp. 1755 - 1757
• Main Authors: Mulholland, E. Kim, Griffiths, Ulla Kou, Biellik, Robin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 10.05.2012
• Subjects: Child; Global Health; Humans; Immunization; Immunization Programs - economics; Incidence; Infant; Measles; Measles - epidemiology; Measles - mortality; Measles - prevention & control; Measles Vaccine; Mortality; Prey; Vaccination; Vaccines; France; United States > US; Africa; Western Europe
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1202396

Between 2000 and 2008, measles control improved markedly worldwide, but with poorer countries focused on polio eradication and some richer countries falling prey to opposition to vaccination, the measles genie seems to have slipped out of the bottle in recent years. Barely 20 years ago, such a high proportion of childhood deaths globally was attributable to measles that the going estimate of more than 1 million measles-related deaths per year was almost certainly an underestimate. Pediatric wards in the developing world were filled with patients with measles and its complications, and measles continued to be a major cause of blindness globally. All this occurred despite the remarkable progress that had been achieved during the 1980s in bringing routine immunizations, including a single dose of measles vaccine, to the poorest countries of the world, culminating in the achievement of the global Universal . . .