By Mariam Sunny
(Reuters) -Global measles cases fell 71% to 11 million from the year 2000 to 2024, driven by improved vaccination coverage, the World Health Organization said in a report on Friday.
Vaccination has prevented nearly 59 million deaths globally during this period, according to the report.
Deaths dropped even more sharply by 88% to 95,000 in 2024, among the lowest annual tolls since 2000.
However, estimated cases in 2024 rose 8%, while deaths dropped 11%, compared with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a shift in disease burden from low-income to middle-income countries, which have lower fatality ratios, the report said.
Measles is often the first disease to see a resurgence when vaccination coverage drops, the agency said, adding that growing measles outbreaks expose weaknesses in immunization programmes and health systems.
Due to its high transmissibility, "even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger outbreaks, like a fire alarm going off when smoke is detected," said Kate O'Brien, director of the Department of Immunization at WHO.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Concern for couple jailed in Tehran as British embassy closes - 2Merz: 80% of Syrians in Germany expected to return within three years
- 3Which Brilliant Home Gadget Can't You Reside Without?
- 4Finding the Universe of Workmanship: Individual Encounters in Imagination
- 5Before Cheap Cars Were Common, This Fiat Changed Everyday Life for Millions
- Ukraine apologizes to Finland for crashed drones
- Which Espresso Do You Like Best? Vote
- The Best Web-based Courses for Ability Advancement
- Get Cooking: 15 Speedy and Heavenly Recipes for Occupied Individuals
- Russia accidentally destroys its only way of sending astronauts to space
- Last Christmas, 3 million viewers watched a Chiefs love story — will Bills fans fall just as hard this year?
- Scientists dove hundreds of feet into the ocean and found creatures no human has ever seen. Our trash beat us there
- Kidneys from Black donors are more likely to be thrown away − a bioethicist explains why
- The cave was pitch black – so to create this magical underwater shot, the photographer had to use all his camera expertise...
