World Health Organization says rising cases of measles could be a bad sign for other diseases

The World Health Organization says measles deaths have declined significantly this century thanks to global vaccination efforts, but the number of cases will increase in 2024.

The UN public health body said on Friday that despite the low number of deaths, cases soared An estimated 11 million last year, up nearly 800,000 from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Measles serves as a fire alarm for vaccination programmes,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO’s director of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals. “High transmissibility means that even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger an outbreak, such as a fire alarm going off when smoke is detected.”

They warned that other vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough and polio are also likely to widen gaps in routine vaccination coverage.

Diana Chang Blank, unit head of WHO’s essential program on immunization, told a news conference that measles deaths had fallen by 88 percent since 2000, from 780,000 at the time to 95,000 in 2024.

Although this is the lowest recorded number of deaths since 2000, most are children under the age of five, Chang Blank said. “It just doesn’t need to be like that.”

WHO attributed the decline in measles-related deaths to the greater number of infections in middle-income countries with lower case fatality ratios compared to low-income countries, where children are more likely to die due to poor nutrition and lack of access to health care.

Children living in fragile, conflict-stricken areas are most affected by measles, the consequences of which can include brain infection leading to permanent damage, deafness and blindness.

It can be prevented with two doses of a safe and highly effective vaccine, O’Brien said.

Canada’s struggle to control measles

canada lost it measles eradication status Earlier this month, gaps in public health measures allowed unvaccinated or undervaccinated people to transmit a variant of the virus for 12 consecutive months. Measles is highly preventable when countries reach 95 percent coverage with two doses.

Measles cases in Canada topped 5,000, spreading across several provinces and including two deaths of premature babies infected in the womb. Given the range of cases, there are probably four or five children in the country who have really serious complications, said Dr. Brian Ward, an infectious disease microbiologist at McGill University Health Centre.

Asked what Canada needs to do to regain measles elimination status, Ward suggested better communication, building trust with undervaccinated communities and fighting misinformation.

Parents say they trust their health care provider in surveys, Ward said, but consistency and timing are important.

“If we tell that person they have two and a half minutes to talk to someone about something as important as the vaccine, we’re hurting ourselves,” Ward said.

The Canadian outbreak this year was not included in WHO data. The US and Mexico also reported significant outbreaks in 2025.

The sting of cuts in US funding

WHO warned that deep funding cuts to global measles and rubella laboratory networks and country vaccination programs could widen immunity gaps and lead to more outbreaks in 2026.

Elsewhere, the US government signaled its intention to withdraw from the WHO.

“They’re still not gone, but it’s quite significant,” Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of WHO’s epidemiology and pandemic management department, said in an interview with CBC News earlier this month.

“Globally, the reduction in US funding has had a cascading effect on life-saving interventions and life-saving programs in more than 70 countries,” Van Kerkhove said, pointing to cuts in USAID funding and reduced exchanges of technical expertise with US government officials.