Africa slashes measles deaths

2007-11-29 15:08

Cape Town - In a rare public health success story on the world's most beleaguered continent, Africa has slashed deaths from measles by 91% since 2000, thanks to an immunisation drive.

The Measles Initiative said on Thursday that worldwide measles deaths fell from an estimated 757 000 to 242 000 between 2000 and 2006, a reduction of 68% made possible by the remarkable gains in Africa, which cut fatalities from an estimated 396 000 to 36 000.

It said that south Asia - notably the Indian subcontinent - remained the toughest challenge. An estimated 178 000 million people died of measles in the region last year - only 26% down on 2000.

The figures were a mixture of projections and hard epidemiological data.

10.5m children 'not immunised'

The Measles Initiative, which included the American Red Cross, the United States Centres for Disease Prevention and Control, the World Health Organisation and Unicef, hoped to take the strategy that worked so well in Africa, where trained volunteers formed the backbone, to India, where an estimated 10.5 million children were not immunised.

"The clear message from this achievement is that the strategy works," said CDC Director Dr Julie Gerberding of the drive to vaccinate all children against measles before their first birthday and provided a second opportunity for measles vaccination through mass vaccination campaigns.

But she said the death toll of 600 per day remained unacceptably high. "We have a very safe and effective vaccine and we have to do a lot better," she said.

Between 2000 and 2006, an estimated 478 million children aged nine months to 14 years received measles vaccine through campaigns in 46 out of the 47 priority countries severely affected by the disease.

Zim's health system 'collapsing'

In 2006, global routine measles vaccination coverage reached an estimated 80% for the first time, up from 72% in 2000. The largest improvements in vaccination coverage were in the African and the Eastern Mediterranean regions.

The example of Zimbabwe, whose health system was collapsing under an economic crisis marked by acute shortages and an inflation rate of at least 8 000%, highlighted the commitment of even the hardest pressed African countries' authorities toward immunisation.

The official Herald newspaper said an ongoing national vaccination campaign, now in its fourth day, had been met with an overwhelming response from mothers.

It aimed to reach two million children under five countrywide with vaccines against measles, polio, whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus.

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, chairperson of the board of the American Red Cross, said the real beauty of the Measles Initiative was that its trained volunteers - some of them riding bicycles, horses and even camels to reach remote areas - could be pressed into service for a range of action on basic health care.

- AP