GLOBAL PROGRESS TOWARDS REGIONAL MEASLES ELIMINATION, WORLDWIDE, 2000-2013

Friday, 14th of November 2014

GLOBAL PROGRESS TOWARDS REGIONAL MEASLES ELIMINATION, WORLDWIDE, 2000-2013

 

Excerpt below; full text, with tables, is at

http://www.who.int/wer/2014/wer8946.pdf?ua=1

 

During 2000–2013, the total number of annual reported  measles cases worldwide decreased by 67%, from 853479 to 279776, and measles incidence decreased by 72%, from 146 to 40 cases per million population. However, the results for 2013 represent an increase from 227739 reported cases and an incidence of 33 cases per million population in 2012, despite fewer Member States reporting (189 in 2012 vs 176 in 2013).

 

The percentage of reporting Member States with <5 cases per million increased from 64% in 2012 (120 of 189) to 66% in 2013 (116 of 176). During 2000–2013, the Region of the Ameri-

cas (AMR) maintained measles incidence at <5 cases per million.

 

The increase in measles incidence in 2013 was largely the result of outbreaks reported in DRC (89 108 cases), Nigeria (52 852), China (26 883), Pakistan (8749), Angola (8523), Indonesia (8419), Uganda (7878), Georgia (7872) and Turkey (7405). Reported cases in India declined,

from 33 634 in 2011 to 13 833 in 2013.

 

Genotypes of measles virus sequences were reported by 61 (56%) of the 108 Member States which reported measles cases in 2013. Of 2301 measles virus sequences reported to WHO,

the genotype was B3 for 438 (31Member States), D4 for 127 (19 Member States), D8 for

1555 (40 Member States), D9 for 82 (13 Member States), G3 for 15 (1 Member States) and H1 for 81 (9 Member States). Five genotypes were reported in AMR and WPR; 3 genotypes were reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), EUR and the South-East Asia Region (SEAR), and 1 genotype was reported in the African Region (AFR).

 

Mortality estimates

WHO has developed a model to estimate measles mortality in Member States using numbers and age distribution of reported cases, routine and supplementary MCV coverage, and age-specific, country-specific case-fatality rates.11, 12

New measles vaccination coverage and case data for all Member States for 2000–2013 led to a

new series of mortality estimates. During this period, estimated measles deaths decreased by 75%, from 544200 to 145700 and all Regions had substantial reductions in estimated measles mortality.