While global vaccination campaigns have drastically reduced deaths from measles over the past two decades, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is warning that the disease is resurfacing due to gaps in immunisation.
New figures reveal that despite years of progress, insufficient coverage is leaving millions of children vulnerable and enabling outbreaks to re-emerge.
WHO reports that between 2000 and 2024, immunisation efforts prevented nearly 59 million deaths, with overall measles fatalities dropping by 88 per cent.
However, the organisation notes that the threat remains serious. In 2024, approximately 95,000 people, mostly children under the age of five, died from measles. WHO stresses that these deaths could have been entirely avoided with timely vaccination.
The agency also highlights a concerning rise in infections. Measles cases climbed to an estimated 11 million last year, nearly 800,000 higher than in 2019, before disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus “will exploit any gap in our collective defences,” emphasizing that full immunisation in every community is crucial to preventing outbreaks and saving lives.
“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,” Ghebreyesus said. “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.”
Regional trends show marked differences. Cases rose sharply in some areas compared to 2019: 86 per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean, 47 per cent in Europe, and 42 per cent in South-East Asia.
In contrast, Africa saw a 40 per cent drop in cases and a 50 per cent reduction in deaths, largely due to improved vaccine coverage.
Despite these gains, many children remain at risk. WHO estimates that only 84 per cent of children received their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2024, while only 76 per cent got the second dose—well below the 95 per cent needed to stop the spread.
Over 30 million children went under-protected, mostly in regions affected by conflict or vulnerability in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
WHO warns that measles is often the first disease to return when vaccination coverage weakens, exposing gaps in health systems and threatening progress under the Immunisation Agenda 2030.
The agency calls for immediate action to reach all children, strengthen immunisation programmes, and prevent the resurgence of a disease that is fully preventable.
