The WHO warned that funding cuts could fuel more outbreaks<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Dec. 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 Between 2000 and 2024, global measles<\/a> deaths fell by 88%, saving an estimated 58 million lives, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.<\/p>\n But now the virus is spreading again in places that had once pushed it to the brink: A sign that too many children are now missing their routine vaccines.<\/p>\n Last year, 59 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks, almost triple the number seen in 2021.<\/p>\n Some of these outbreaks happened in places once considered measles-free, such as Canada and the United States.<\/p>\n “Global measles elimination remains a distant goal,” the report says.<\/p>\n The agency warns that years of progress are at risk because routine vaccines and disease-tracking systems have not fully recovered since the pandemic.<\/p>\n The United States reached measles elimination in 2000, meaning the virus was no longer spreading continuously in the country. But this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> has reported 1,798 confirmed cases so far, the highest number since elimination was reached.<\/p>\n WHO officials say they are closely watching the United States, Canada and other countries that previously controlled measles but are now seeing a rise in infections.<\/p>\n “Measles remains the world\u2019s most contagious virus,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus<\/a> told CNN.<\/em><\/p>\n Even with an effective, low-cost vaccine, he said, the virus “exploits gaps in immunization coverage.”<\/p>\n Globally, more than 30 million children were under-protected against measles in 2024, Diana Chang Blanc<\/a>, who leads WHO\u2019s Essential Program on Immunization, told CNN<\/em>. Around the globe, only 84% received a first vaccine dose and just 76% received the important second dose that boosts immunity to about 95%.<\/p>\n Despite setbacks, several places have reached major milestones. Cabo Verde, Seychelles and Mauritius became the first African countries to eliminate measles this year.<\/p>\n Additionally, 21 Pacific Island nations eliminated both measles and rubella.<\/p>\n “We have made measurable progress towards measles elimination,” Blanc told CNN<\/em>.<\/p>\n But “cases and deaths are still unacceptably high,” she added.<\/p>\n She stressed that every measles death can be prevented with routine vaccination.<\/p>\n According to WHO, several factors are driving the decline in coverage:<\/p>\n Missed childhood vaccines during the pandemic<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Misinformation about vaccines<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Difficulty reaching families in conflict areas<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Funding cuts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n WHO warned that recent reductions in global health funding, including cuts to the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network<\/a>, could widen immunity gaps and cause even larger outbreaks in the coming years.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mayo Clinic has more on measles<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n