WHO reports 88% drop in measles deaths since 2000, despite rising global cases

SWITZERLAND—A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that global immunization efforts have resulted in an 88% reduction in measles-related deaths between 2000 and 2024, saving nearly 59 million lives during this period.

However, despite these remarkable gains, measles still claimed an estimated 95,000 lives in 2024, mostly among children under the age of five.

Although this marks one of the lowest annual death tolls recorded since 2000, the continued loss of life from a vaccine-preventable disease remains deeply concerning.

Despite fewer deaths, measles cases have surged worldwide, with an estimated 11 million infections recorded in 2024—approximately 800,000 more than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Commenting on these trends, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized that measles is the world’s most contagious virus and exploits any gaps in collective immunity.

He stressed that the virus does not respect borders, but when every child is vaccinated, costly outbreaks can be prevented, lives can be protected, and the disease can ultimately be eliminated from entire nations.

Between 2019 and 2024, measles cases rose significantly across several WHO regions.

The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region recorded an 86% increase, while the European Region saw a 47% rise and the South-East Asian Region experienced a 42% increase.

In contrast, the African Region reported a 40% decline in cases and a 50% decrease in deaths during the same period, partly due to improved immunization coverage.

Although recent surges are most apparent in regions where children are less likely to die because of better access to healthcare and improved nutrition, infected individuals remain at risk of severe complications.

These may include blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis, which is a brain infection that can cause permanent damage.

In 2024, around 84% of children received their first dose of the measles vaccine, while only 76% received the second dose, according to WHO and UNICEF estimates.

Although this represents a slight improvement from the previous year, with two million additional children immunized, global vaccination rates remain below the recommended threshold.

WHO guidelines stipulate that at least 95% coverage with two doses is necessary to stop transmission and protect communities.

More than 30 million children remained under-protected against measles in 2024, with three-quarters of them living in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, often in fragile, conflict-affected, or vulnerable settings.

The Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) Mid-Term Review highlighted that measles is often the first disease to resurge when vaccination coverage declines, exposing weaknesses in immunization systems and threatening progress toward global elimination targets.

In 2024, 59 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks—nearly three times the number reported in 2021 and the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

All regions except the Americas recorded at least one major outbreak in 2024; however, by 2025, numerous countries in the Americas were also battling active transmission.

Efforts to improve measles surveillance have helped strengthen response capacity.

More than 760 laboratories in the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network (GMRLN) tested over 500,000 samples in 2024, a 27% increase from the previous year.

Nevertheless, severe funding cuts affecting GMRLN and national immunization programs risk widening immunity gaps and driving future outbreaks.

 Securing sustainable domestic financing and attracting new partners has now become critical.

Although the world’s elimination goal remains distant, progress is ongoing.

By the end of 2024, 81 countries had eliminated measles, and this number rose to 96 in 2025, with several Pacific island countries and Cabo Verde, Mauritius, and Seychelles becoming the first in the WHO African Region to be verified for elimination.

The Region of the Americas regained elimination status in 2024, becoming the only region to achieve this milestone twice, but it lost the status again in November 2025 due to continued transmission in Canada.

Measles has resurfaced even in high-income countries that previously eliminated it because falling immunization rates have dropped below the critical 95% threshold.

Even when national coverage is relatively high, small pockets of unvaccinated individuals can fuel outbreaks and sustain transmission.

Achieving global measles elimination will require strong political commitment and sustained investment.

The IA2030 Mid-Term Review has called on countries and partners to reinforce routine immunization, enhance surveillance and rapid outbreak response capabilities, and deliver high-coverage vaccination campaigns in areas where routine immunization remains insufficient to protect every child.