Researchers warn of global decline in childhood measles vaccination
A study published in Nature Medicine warns that global childhood measles vaccination rates have dropped significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers note a 40% increase in cases among children under five, reversing decades of progress.
Why it matters
The decline in vaccination coverage poses a major public health risk, potentially leading to widespread outbreaks of a highly contagious disease.
RESEARCHERS have warned that childhood measles vaccination rates have declined globally since the COVID-19 pandemic, which may contribute to a resurgence of the highly contagious disease.
Disruptions to routine vaccine programmes and under-resourced health systems are driving the global decline, with estimated measles cases among children under five rising to 15.6 million worldwide in 2023.
According to a statement released on Thursday by Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ), this was a 40 per cent increase from 2019.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, examined measles cases, deaths and vaccination gaps among children under five across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.
Associate Professor Benn Sartorius from UQ’s Frazer Institute said the resurgence coincided with pandemic-related disruptions to immunisation programmes, health systems and funding.
Sartorius said this development has reversed decades of progress, with measles cases falling nearly 80 per cent worldwide between 1990 and 2019.
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