Progress Toward Measles Elimination - World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2019-2022.

Publisher: U.S. Centers for Disease Control Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7802429 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-861X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01492195 NLM ISO Abbreviation: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Atlanta, GA : U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Original Publication: [Atlanta] U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control.

Measles*/epidemiology ; Measles*/prevention & control ; COVID-19*/epidemiology; Child ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Immunization Schedule ; Population Surveillance ; Disease Eradication ; Measles Vaccine ; Mediterranean Region/epidemiology ; World Health Organization

In 2015, all 22 World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries and areas (countries) pledged to achieve measles elimination by 2020. Despite success in several countries, most countries in the region still have not eliminated measles. This report updates a previous report and describes progress toward measles elimination in EMR during 2019-2022. During that period, estimated regional coverage with the first and second doses of a measles-containing vaccine (MCV) was 82%-83% and 76%-78%, respectively. During 2019-2022, approximately 160 million children were vaccinated during national or subnational supplementary immunization activities. Reported confirmed regional measles incidence decreased from 29.8 cases per 1 million population in 2019 to 7.4 in 2020, but then increased 68%, to 50.0 in 2022 because of challenges providing immunization services and conducting surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveillance indicators deteriorated in 11 (50%) of the 22 EMR countries. During 2019-2022, four countries in the region were verified as having achieved measles elimination, but other countries reported immunity gaps and increased measles incidence in 2022. To achieve measles elimination in EMR, national immunization programs, especially in those countries with high measles incidence, will need to continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, increase overall vaccination coverage to close immunity gaps, and maintain high-quality disease surveillance.
Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Apr 17;69(15):439-445. (PMID: 32298253)

0 (Measles Vaccine)

Date Created: 20240222 Date Completed: 20240226 Latest Revision: 20240321

20250114

PMC10899078

10.15585/mmwr.mm7307a1

38386606