Effects of measles-control activities--African region, 1999-2005.

In 1999, of approximately 871,000 deaths from measles worldwide, 61% occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2001, countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region began an accelerated measles-control program to reduce by half by 2005 the number of deaths that were caused by measles in 1999. The African Region accelerated measles-control program was based on four strategies: improving routine vaccinations; providing a second opportunity for measles vaccination through a routine, 2-dose vaccination schedule or through supplementary immunization activities (SIAs); improving measles case management; and establishing case-based surveillance with laboratory confirmation for all suspected measles cases. Seven countries in the region had already completed catch-up SIAs by 2000, before the regional program began; in 2001, additional countries in the region began implementing catch-up, and later, follow-up SIAs, and steps were taken to improve routine vaccination coverage with measles vaccine and other vaccines in the Expanded Programme on Immunization schedule. This report summarizes the nationwide SIAs and other measles-control activities conducted in the WHO African Region during 1999-2004, analyzes the trends in reported measles cases since 1990, and compares the annual number of measles cases reported in 2005 with those reported in 1999.