Global measles cases: Global measles cases have fallen sharply over the past two decades, but the disease is making a comeback in many countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a new report.
Between 2000 and 2024, the estimated number of measles cases worldwide dropped by 71% to around 11 million, driven largely by better vaccination coverage. Over the same period, measles vaccination is estimated to have prevented nearly 59 million deaths. Annual deaths from the disease declined by almost 88%, from much higher levels at the start of the century to about 95,000 in 2024, the report said.
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However, after years of progress, measles is resurging. The WHO estimated that measles cases in 2024 were about 8% higher than in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine immunisation services. Measles-related deaths, by contrast, fell by 11% compared to 2019, which the agency said reflects a higher concentration of infections in middle-income countries where the fatality rate is lower than in poorer settings.
“Measles is the world’s most contagious virus, and these data show once again how it will exploit any gap in our collective defences against it,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
The organisation noted that measles is often the first vaccine-preventable disease to surge when childhood immunisation rates slip. Rising outbreaks, it said, are a warning sign of weaknesses in national immunisation programmes and broader health systems.
“Even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger outbreaks, like a fire alarm going off when smoke is detected,” said Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s Department of Immunization. She cautioned that similar gaps in coverage are “almost certainly” present for other vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough and polio.
In 2024, 59 countries experienced large or disruptive measles outbreaks, almost three times the number affected in 2021 and the highest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the WHO. The agency said there has been a resurgence even in high-income countries that had previously eliminated measles.
Canada lost its measles elimination status this month after failing to control a year-long outbreak. The United States and Mexico have also reported major outbreaks this year, with thousands of cases and several deaths.