100 Million African Children Receiving Measles and Rubella Vaccines

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is collaborating with partners in Africa to reach up to 100 million children with measles and rubella vaccines in 2024.

As of May 14, 2024, FW Africa reported this expanded vaccination initiative encompasses Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia are among the countries slated for rollout in 2024.

In 2024, preventive measles and rubella campaigns have been launched in countries such as Eritrea, Nepal, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Mali, with Sudan rolling out an MR introduction campaign.

Globally, routine immunization coverage for the first dose of Measles Containing Vaccine remains 2% below pre-pandemic levels.

During the current strategic period (2021-2025), Gavi has allocated $753 million to measles and rubella initiatives.

GAVI's ambitious objective comes with a concerning increase in measles outbreaks in 2024.

As of April 26, 2024, the U.S. CDC updated Travel Health Notice lists 51 countries reporting measles outbreaks.

In the United States, 21 jurisdictions reported 132 measles cases this year, led by the state of Illinois with 67. Furthermore, 81% of these cases were unvaccinated or unknown. In 2023, 20 jurisdictions reported 58 measles cases in the U.S.

And 53% of these measles cases were hospitalized (70 of 132 cases) for isolation or management of measles complications. In April 2021, the journal Pediatrics published a study indicating that treatment costs were $47,479 per case during a measles outbreak.

As of May 14, 2024, measles vaccines are generally available at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.