PROGRESS TOWARD MEASLES ELIMINATION-WESTERN PACIFIC REGION, 2009-2012

Monday, 7th of April 2014

[source]MMWR[|source]

In 2012, the WPR Regional Committee reaffirmed its commitment to eliminate measles and urged member states to interrupt all residual endemic measles virus transmission as rapidly as possible. To achieve elimination, intensified efforts are needed to identify and close gaps in population immunity, by increasing coverage with MCV2 to ≥95% in all countries and areas and by conducting high-quality SIAs in countries with sustained measles virus transmission. In countries and areas with <95% MCV1 or MCV2 coverage, urgent action is needed to strengthen routine immunization services and to identify and implement targeted SIAs for measles-susceptible populations.

 

In this report, the authors provide an update of the previous report and describe progress toward eliminating measles in WPR during 2009-2012. The report indicates that measles incidence reached a historic low, decreasing by 83%, from 34.0 to 5.9 cases per million population.  More details are accessible at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6222a3.htm

 

 ABSTRACT

In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific Region (WPR) resolved that WPR should aim to eliminate measles by 2012. The recommended measles elimination strategies in WPR include 1) achieving and maintaining high (≥95%) coverage with 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine (MCV) through routine immunization services and by implementing supplementary immunization activities (SIAs), when required; 2) conducting high-quality, case-based measles surveillance; 3) ensuring high-quality laboratory surveillance, with timely and accurate testing of specimens to confirm or discard suspected cases and detect measles virus for genotyping and molecular analysis; and 4) establishing and maintaining measles outbreak preparedness for rapid response and ensuring appropriate case management. This report updates the previous report and describes progress toward eliminating measles in WPR during 2009-2012. During this period, measles incidence reached a historic low, decreasing by 83%, from 34.0 to 5.9 cases per million population. However, to achieve measles elimination in WPR, additional efforts are needed to strengthen routine immunization services in countries and areas with <95% coverage with the routine first (MCV1) or second dose of MCV (MCV2), to introduce a MCV2 dose in the four remaining countries and areas that do not yet have a routine 2-dose MCV schedule, and to use SIAs to close immunity gaps among measles-susceptible populations in countries and areas that have ongoing measles virus transmission.