Measles deaths have dropped sharply since 2000, yet officials now warn of a growing resurgence.
Cases in Europe and Central Asia increased by 47 per cent last year, driven mainly by declining vaccination coverage, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The alert highlights a global setback, as decades of progress in reducing infections and deaths begin to erode.
In 2024, measles caused an estimated 95,000 deaths worldwide, mostly among children under five. That figure marks a steep decline from 780,000 deaths in 2000, but the WHO insisted that “every death from a disease that could be prevented with a highly effective and low-cost vaccine is unacceptable.”
The agency stated that global vaccination programmes have prevented nearly 59 million deaths since the early 2000s.
Rising Cases Reveal Widening Gaps
Measles infections are climbing again across the world. Officials recorded about 11 million cases last year, roughly 800,000 more than in the years before the pandemic.
Earlier this year, the WHO reported more than 120,000 measles cases in Europe and Central Asia in 2024, marking the region’s highest total in over 25 years.
The organisation identified major outbreaks in 59 countries last year, nearly triple the number reported in 2021.
“Measles is the world’s most contagious virus, and these data show once again how it will exploit any gap in our collective defences against it,” WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The agency linked the surge to increasing numbers of people declining vaccination. Because measles spreads so easily, health authorities insist that at least 95 per cent of people must be immunised to prevent widespread transmission.
WHO data shows that 84 per cent of children received their first measles vaccine dose last year, while 76 per cent received the second. The figures rose slightly from the previous year, with two million more children vaccinated.
Falling Immunisation Leaves Millions Exposed
Despite the small gains, more than 30 million children remained “under-protected” in 2024, especially in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region. Officials emphasise that outbreaks can still erupt in countries with strong overall coverage when localised groups remain unvaccinated.
The WHO warned that measles often reappears first when immunisation rates fall, reflecting deeper weaknesses in health systems and vaccination programmes worldwide.
Children who survive measles face heightened risks of pneumonia, blindness and encephalitis, a condition that can inflame and damage the brain.
The organisation urged governments to increase funding and intensify global strategies to eliminate measles.
“Measles does not respect borders, but when every child in every community is vaccinated against it, costly outbreaks can be avoided, lives can be saved, and this disease can be eliminated from entire nations,” Tedros said.
