For decades, measles vaccination has been a global success story. Deaths from measles dropped 88% around the world from 2000 to 2024, according to a new report from the World Health Organization, with an estimated 58 million lives saved in that time.

But now, with vaccine coverage well below the level needed to stop transmission, cases are surging. Fifty-nine countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks last year, almost triple the number reported in 2021. A quarter of outbreaks are happening in countries previously declared measles-free, including Canada and the United States.

“Global measles elimination remains a distant goal,” according to the WHO report released Friday. The progress of the last decades is in peril with the return of outbreaks and decline in resources for

See Full Page