Measles Deaths

Measles deaths worldwide have fallen by 74 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), due to aggressive efforts to vaccinate young children against measles.

Global health officials say that from 2000 through 2007, the number of measles deaths worldwide dropped from 750,000 to 197,000. In the Eastern Mediterranean, the number of deaths due to measles fell by 90 percent from 96,000 to 10,000 during the same period.

The World Health Organization, or WHO, has set a goal of cutting measles deaths overall by 90 percent by the end of the decade. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and the Sudan have already achieved that goal, while other countries are not far behind. However, 500 children per day die of the disease, which is easily prevented through immunizations. The vast majority of measles deaths occur in children under the age of five.

Source: WHO, Voice of America