Measles deaths decline but 20 million children still unprotected
The Measles & Rubella Initiative helped to reach over 225 million children through mass vaccination campaigns in 2011 alone, contributing to a 71% drop in global measles deaths in just over a decade. New data released this week shows that progress against measles is due to increased vaccination coverage which has resulted in a 58% … Read more
Introducing Robert Kezaala, Head of Measles & Rubella, UNICEF
Through his work in EPI, measles and polio, Dr. Robert Kezaala is well known to many in the field of immunization. Unicef recently welcomed him as head of its measles and rubella programme, where he’ll be working closely with partners of the Measles & Rubella Initiative. Before his Unicef appointment Robert served as a Medical … Read more
Measles mortality reduction: A successful global public health strategy
“Traveling through Africa in 2000 to assess the needs and begin to devise a plan, I was shocked to see every hospital had an entire ward for children with serious measles complications. Large numbers of beds were crowded into small areas occupied by children in their last phase of life.”
Measles in 2011: devastating, surprising outbreaks and some success
Measles continued to make a disturbing comeback in 2011, with several new and ongoing outbreaks of this vaccine-preventable virus. These included outbreaks in countries with some of the best, and, some of the worst health systems in the world. Encouragingly, many countries with support of the Measles Initiative stopped measles outbreaks that had been a … Read more
