In 2022, a concerning global surge in measles cases and deaths occurred, marked by a significant increase in outbreaks across 37 countries.. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attribute this rise to a decline in measles vaccination rates, particularly in low-income countries. Shockingly, over 33 million children missed measles vaccinations in 2022, exacerbating the situation and posing a serious threat to global health.
The CDC warns that the global measles threat is escalating, with millions of children remaining unvaccinated, creating an environment conducive to the spread of the disease. In comparison to 2021, measles cases increased by 18%, and deaths rose by 43% globally in 2022, totaling an estimated 9 million cases and 136,000 deaths, predominantly among children.
Widespread outbreaks affected 37 countries, with 28 in the WHO Region for Africa, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in Southeast Asia, and one in the European Region. Health officials express their concern, emphasizing that the increase in measles outbreaks and deaths was not unexpected given the declining vaccination rates witnessed in recent years.
While there was a modest increase in global vaccination coverage in 2022, with a first-dose coverage rate of 83% and a second-dose coverage rate of 74%, these figures fall well below the recommended 95% coverage necessary to protect communities from outbreaks. Low-income countries, where the risk of death from measles is highest, continue to have the lowest vaccination rates at only 66%, showing no recovery from the decline during the pandemic.
Of the 33 million children who missed measles vaccine doses in 2022, 22 million missed their first dose and an additional 11 million missed their second dose. The lack of recovery in measles vaccine coverage in low-income countries following the pandemic is a cause for alarm. More than half of the children who missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022 reside in just 10 countries, including Angola, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
Health authorities stress the urgent need for improved vaccination coverage and response efforts globally to curb the spread of measles. CDC and WHO call for countries to locate and vaccinate all children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. They also encourage global stakeholders to support countries in vaccinating their most vulnerable communities. Additionally, investing in robust surveillance systems and outbreak response capacity at all levels is deemed crucial to rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks.
To address this global health challenge, CDC and WHO are active members of the Measles & Rubella Partnership (M&RP), a global initiative committed to halting measles and rubella. Guided by the Measles and Rubella Strategic Framework 2030, the initiative aims to reverse the decline in national vaccination coverage, expedite COVID-19 pandemic recovery, and accelerate progress towards a world free of measles and rubella. The partnership includes other key entities such as the American Red Cross, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, United Nations Foundation, and UNICEF.
