Measles strategy works – Now it must expand to more countries

Cape Town Measles Declaration pledges to cut measles deaths by half

By 2005, almost half a million children will be saved every
year if there are expanded efforts to immunize and protect all children
against measles, international health experts declared today.

At a landmark World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) meeting in Cape Town, leading players in the
fight against measles spelled out what it will take to stop 2000
children dying every day from this preventable disease. Together with
UNICEF special ambassador Angelique Kidjo, they issued a call for
intensified efforts and the resources necessary to ensure all children
are protected against measles.

“We can do it – we’ve done it before – in Afghanistan, Angola,
in countries devastated by conflict and drought and every other form of
disaster,” said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, UNICEF. “In just
three years, and against great odds, we’ve cut the number of children
dying from measles by almost 25%. It’s one of the most dramatic declines
in disease mortality in history. But the next 25% will be harder. With
the political and financial support of donors and governments around the
world, we can together save many more lives.”

The “Cape Town Measles Declaration” calls on governments to
take strong action against one of the world’s most vicious and prolific
vaccine-preventable childhood killers – a disease which kills 745,000
children every year. We must control this disease to meet the Millennium
Development targets of a 67% reduction in under-five mortality by 2015.
The world leaders are well aware of the urgency. Last year, the UN
General Assembly Special Session on Children set a 2005 target date to
reduce measles deaths from 1999 levels by 50%. This year, the World
Health Assembly, which includes 192 member states, endorsed the WHO and
UNICEF measles strategy to combat the disease.

“When 30 million children are affected and 745,000 children
die every year, you have to think big,” said Dr. LEE Jong-wook,
Director-General of WHO. “Since the launch of the WHO-UNICEF strategy to
reduce measles deaths in 2000, we have delivered measles vaccine to
more than 200 million children globally. We know the strategy works. An
additional half a million children are alive today because of all the
partners’ efforts. But if we’re to prevent more deaths, we must do more.
And we’ll need help from governments and from the international
community.”

The campaign against measles has been dramatic – hundreds of
thousands of children saved, the virus almost banished from the Americas
and transmission cut drastically in many African countries, where the
Measles Initiative Partnership has been the driving force behind the
campaign. WHO and UNICEF have identified 45 countries as the highest
priority for mortality-reduction strategies, accounting for 95% of
global deaths from measles.

“It has been astonishing to see the results of the
immunization programme in Africa,“ said Dr Mark Grabowsky, Senior
Technical Officer, American Red Cross. “Now we have proof that we can
reduce measles mortality even in countries torn apart by conflict, if
governments are committed, communities are engaged and we have the
support of donors, NGOs and volunteers. What we have accomplished so far
through the Measles Initiative Partnership gives great hope for the
future, and the many thousands of children we can still save.” The
foundation of the measles mortality-reduction strategy is the
re-invigoration of national immunization systems. At the Cape Town
meeting, delegates discussed strategies with governments and policy
makers for strengthening routine immunization services and making the
life-saving measles vaccine available to all children as a matter of
course.

”It’s not just about reducing childhood deaths today. We need
to be in this for the long haul and this means a sustainable reduction
in childhood deaths, which only a strong national health system can
guarantee,” said Dr Stephen L. Cochi, Deputy Director, National
Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
”This kind of international focus and commitment gives us the
opportunity to build that strength – boosting safe routine immunization
services, establishing international laboratory networks and increasing
surveillance to detect and respond to outbreaks.”

“Today the call to action is clear,” said Mr Nick Farrell,
Senior Programme Officer, International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies. “ We have to ensure every child receives a second
opportunity for measles immunization in these 45 countries, no matter
how remote or marginalized, regardless of barriers of conflict, culture
and poverty.

“To date we have seen tens of thousands of health workers and
volunteers trek across mountains and deserts in all kinds of conditions
to find these children to ensure they receive the life-saving vaccine,”
said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation. “We
are witnessing incredible commitment from ordinary people. They need –
they deserve to be backed up by the world’s political will and financial
support.”

Ms Angelique Kidjo, Special UNICEF ambassador, believes that
the Cape Town Measles Declaration indicates a clear path towards a giant
achievement in children’s health.

”The world has committed, to drastically reducing the
devastating, pointless waste of young life,” she said. “If we reach our
targets for measles, we will have taken a huge step towards keeping that
promise. I believe we can get there – but only if we make it a priority
to turn this declaration into action. This goal deserves all we can
give. We must do whatever is necessary.”

Further information:

• Of all the vaccine-preventable diseases, measles remains the
  leading childhood killer. Measles is an important cause of overall under
  5 childhood mortality.
• Measles affects over 30 million children. More than 745,000 die each year from measles – more than half of them in Africa.
• A safe, effective and inexpensive measles vaccine has been available for over 40 years.
• Measles accounts for an estimated 50% of vaccine-preventable deaths among children.
• One million measles deaths are already being prevented each year
  with existing immunization efforts. With the successful implementation
  of the WHO-UNICEF measles strategy (including routine immunization and
  periodic supplementary immunization activities), an additional 500,000
  measles deaths can be prevented each year.
• Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease caused
  by the measles virus. It is one of the most readily transmitted
  communicable diseases and probably the best known and most deadly of all
  childhood illnesses. Measles causes a high fever, rash, cough and can
  kill. It affects mostly children, but also young adults. Children
  usually do not die directly of measles, but from its complications such
  as pneumonia and diarrhea which attack their weakened immune systems.
• It costs less than a dollar to immunize a child against measles.
• A critical goal is to reduce measles mortality by 50% by 2005 (compared to 875,000 deaths in 1999).
• The WHO-UNICEF strategy to reduce measles deaths includes:
  achieving and maintaining high routine measles immunization coverage –
  ‘the first opportunity’ to infants; Providing a ‘second opportunity’ for
  measles immunization for all children through periodic supplementary
  immunization campaigns; Ensuring high quality measles surveillance is in
  place to detect and respond to outbreaks; and improving management of
  complicated cases.
• Collaborating partners include: WHO, UNICEF, the US Centers for
  Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Foundation,
  humanitarian and non-governmental organizations, including the American
  Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
  Societies, governments of countries affected by measles, development
  banks, donor governments (e.g. Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the
  United States of America).
• The importance of developing long term immunization planning
  cannot be underestimated. This includes ensuring measles activities are
  fully integrated with other national health goals, establishing high
  quality surveillance, mobilizing necessary human and financial resources
  and planning for financial sustainability of measles mortality
  reduction activities.

For further information, please contact :Melissa Corkum,
Information Officer, WHO headquarters, Phone: 41-22-791-765, mobile:
41-79-500-6554, Email:corkumm@who.int; Mohammed Jalloh, International
Communication Officer, UNICEF, Phone: 212-326-7516, mobile
(1-646-207-5179), Email: mjalloh@unicef.org; Laura Rogers, Director of
Communications, United Nations Foundation, Phone: 202-887-9040,
Email:lrogers@unfoundation.org; Julie Irby, Associate, International
Communication, American Red Cross, Phone: 202-303-4264, mobile:
202-439-0722 Email: IrbyJ@usa.redcross.org; Roy Probert, Press officer,
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Phone:
41-22-730-4296, mobile: 41-79-217-3386, Email:Roy.Probert@ifrc.org;
Steven Stewart, Health Communications, CDC, Phone: 404-639-8327, mobile
678-644-6204 Email:znc4@cdc.gov