Eliminating Measles Remains a ‘Distant Goal’ Despite 88 Percent Decline in Deaths: WHO

The WHO estimates 58.7 million deaths have been prevented globally between 2000 and 2024 by the global measles vaccination program.

A 1-year-old is held by his mother while he receives an MMR vaccine in Lubbock, Texas, on March 1, 2025. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images

There has been an 88 percent drop in the estimated number of measles deaths worldwide between 2000 and 2024, but eliminating the disease completely remains a “distant goal” amid a surging number of cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report released on Nov. 28.

The number of deaths fell from 777,000 at the beginning of the century to 95,000 last year, the WHO said. The 2024 figure is “among the lowest annual estimates.”

Compared with 2019, deaths are down 11 percent. Since 2019, the African region has seen a 50 percent decline in deaths, which was offset by a 71 percent jump in the Eastern Mediterranean region and a 27 percent increase in the Southeast Asia region.

Worldwide, there were 11 million measles cases in 2024. Although this was a 71 percent dip from 2000, it was up 8 percent compared with levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The divergence between rising estimates of cases and decreasing numbers of deaths is partly explained by the increase in the number of cases in middle-income countries, where case-fatality rates are lower, and the decrease in the number of cases in low-income countries between 2019 and 2024,” the WHO said.

The organization estimates that 58.7 million deaths have been prevented globally between 2000 and 2024 by the global measles vaccination program.

However, eliminating measles remains a challenge that requires sufficient resources, strong political commitment from national leaders, and sustained vaccination coverage, while reinforcing surveillance and outbreak responses, the report stated.

According to the WHO, first-dose vaccination coverage peaked in 2019 but “decreased sharply” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although global coverage has been rising since 2021, it has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Second-dose vaccination is well below the 95 percent threshold required to interrupt disease transmission.

“In this context, it is unsurprising that the number of countries experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks in 2024 was the highest since 2019,” WHO said.

“Apart from 2019, the past 2 years have seen the highest number of large, disruptive measles outbreaks since 2003.”

In a Nov. 28 statement, WHO said sustained investment and strong political commitment are required to ensure all children receive two doses of the vaccine and surveillance systems can quickly detect outbreaks.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that measles was the “most contagious virus” in the world and that any gap in global collective defenses will be exploited by the infection.

“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,” Ghebreyesus said.

The US Situation

In the United States, there have been 1,798 measles infections so far this year, according to a Nov. 26 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most affected age group was children aged 5–19, who accounted for 40 percent of the cases. This was followed by the 20-plus age group and children under 5.

According to the CDC, 92 percent of infected cases are among people who are either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

Of the 1,798 cases, 212 (12 percent) have been hospitalized. Children aged under 5 accounted for 21 percent of hospitalized patients. There have been three confirmed deaths from measles this year.

Despite the higher number this year, weekly case numbers peaked around March and have been declining since then. Texas is the most affected state, accounting for 803 cases in 2024 and 2025. New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah have reported 100 or more cases each.

“Measles was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning there is no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country,” the CDC said.

Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organization, a WHO agency, revoked Canada’s measles-free status this month after more than a year of measles cases reported across several territories and provinces.

More than 4,800 measles cases have been confirmed in Canada this year, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Ontario was the most affected region, followed by Alberta.

“While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities,” PHAC said in a statement.

In the United States, a measles outbreak in Texas that began in January was declared over in August. Outbreaks in Arizona and Utah are ongoing. Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill recently said there was no evidence linking the two outbreaks.

Even though case numbers in the United States are low, the country could lose its measles-free designation in 2026 because of sustained outbreaks.