Global drop in measles cases

In 2007 the World Health Organization (WHO) registered 197,000 measles deaths, compared to 750,000 in 2000. The WHO said two-thirds of the reduction took place in Africa, where the number of deaths dropped by 89%.

Deaths in the eastern Mediterranean region, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia, dropped by 90% in the same period.

However, the WHO warned that measles outbreaks occurred in a number of African countries in 2007 due to gaps in immunisation coverage, reinforcing the need for a comprehensive approach.

And progress was more limited in the South-East Asia region, where two-thirds of global measles deaths occur, with death rates down by 42%. Lack of progress here has been blamed on delays to a large-scale vaccination campaign in India.

The United Nations is committed to reducing measles deaths by 90% by 2010.