Measles Deaths Fall to a Record Low Worldwide

Measles Deaths Fall to a Record Low Worldwide
Because measles is so contagious — one child can infect a dozen others in a classroom or at a playground, even before the telltale
rash appears — outbreaks in any community or school can be prevented only by pushing vaccination rates to 95 percent.
The decline — a public health triumph, as measles has long been a leading killer of malnourished children
— was accomplished by widespread donor-supported vaccination that began in the early 2000s.
The Disneyland measles outbreak of 2014-15 led California to pass tough new laws requiring vaccination,
and vaccination rates among Southern California kindergartners are now close to 98 percent.
In wealthy countries, deaths from measles are rare — only about one case in 5,000 is fatal.
The disease kills up to 6 percent of malnourished children in poor countries, the W.H.O.
Many developing countries that first rolled out vaccines in mass campaigns with
donor help are now buying their own for routine children’s immunization.