Advances in Global Measles Control and Elimination: Summary of the 1997 International Meeting

Abstract

A meeting concerning advances in measles control and elimination, the third in a series, was held in Atlanta during August 1997. The meeting was cosponsored by CDC, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Children's Fund. Meeting participants concluded that substantial progress has been made toward controlling measles. Measles transmission has been interrupted in several countries, reinforcing the view that measles eradication is technically feasible using existing vaccines and intervention strategies. However, measles still accounts for 10% of global mortality from all causes among children aged <5 years (i.e., approximately 1 million deaths annually). Progress toward measles control varies substantially among countries and regions. Intensified efforts are necessary to implement appropriate control and elimination strategies, including supplementary vaccination campaigns, expansion of routine vaccination services, and surveillance. These strategies and estimates of the resources required to implement them will require adjustment based on accumulating experience. Programmatic and financial obstacles must be overcome if the final goal of measles eradication is to be achieved.