Measles Deaths Plunge In Africa, WHO Says

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON - Measles deaths plunged by 91 percent in Africa between 2000 and 2006, thanks to a concerted effort to vaccinate children, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Deaths from the once-common childhood disease fell from nearly 400,000 a year to 36,000 in 2006, the U.N.'s World Health Organization reported.

"The spectacular gains achieved in Africa helped generate a strong decline in global measles deaths, which fell 68 percent worldwide, from an estimated 757,000 to 242,000 during this period," the U.N. and the American Red Cross said in a joint news release.

"This is a major public health success and a tribute to the commitment of countries in the African region," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said in a statement.

"We need to sustain this success and intensify our efforts in other parts of the world, as there are still far too many lives lost to this disease."

Measles, caused by a highly infectious virus, is marked by fever and a characteristic rash. It is virtually unknown now in many developed countries where vaccination is nearly universal.

WHO and other groups have led mass vaccination campaigns around the world. The groups said 478 million children in developing countries were vaccinated between 2000 and 2006.

Officials said Africa has been hardest hit by the infection, in part because poor nutrition makes children far more likely to die of the disease. 





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