Only 74% of Children Received Second MMR Dose

According to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were an estimated 10.3 million cases of measles worldwide in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022.

The new data show that an estimated 107,500 people, primarily children younger than 5 years of age, died due to measles in 2023.

These agencies confirmed on November 14, 2024, that measles is vaccine-preventable. However, an estimated 83% of children received their first dose of measles vaccine last year, while only 74% received the recommended second dose.

“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a press release.

Geographically, 57 countries experienced large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2023.

The CDC maintains a global Watch-Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Notice, identifying measles outbreaks in 56 countries. The CDC encourages all international travelers to fully immunize against measles before visiting outbreak countries.

In the United States, the CDC reported 59 measles cases in 20 jurisdictions in 2023. Unfortunately, 277 measles cases in 32 U.S. jurisdictions were confirmed in 2024.

The vast majority of measles cases in the U.S. are detected in unvaccinated international travelers.