Manila, 19 January 2007 — The United Nations Foundation is making available US$ 8.8 million to the World Health Organization and UNICEF to help in its battle against measles in five of the poorest countries in the Western Pacific Region. The nations to benefit are Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam.
Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO’s Regional Director of the Western Pacific, welcomed the injection of funds and said it would help the Region achieve its target of eliminating measles by 2012. "The goal can be reached, but it requires all countries to show the utmost commitment,” he said. “We hope this strong demonstration of support for the Region will motivate and drive national immunization programmes to strive further, to do the work we know they can do. We challenge these five countries to implement successful mass measles vaccination campaigns in 2007-2008, as these successes will attract future support".
Measles deaths have fallen by 60% worldwide since 1999 – a major public health achievement. This exceeds the United Nations goal to halve measles deaths between 1999 and 2005 and is largely due to an unprecedented decline in measles deaths in Africa. The progress was announced today by partners in the global Measles Initiative: the American Red Cross, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
According to new data from the World Health Organization, global measles deaths fell from an estimated 873 000 deaths in 1999 to 345 000 deaths in 2005. In Africa, the progress has been even greater, with deaths declining by 75%, from 506 000 to 126 000. The data will be published in this week's edition of The Lancet. The Western Pacific Region reduced its deaths by 81% over the same period – the greatest percentage reduction of WHO’s six regions. However, the reduction in the number of deaths was not as dramatic as in Africa as a higher percentage of children were already vaccinated and therefore protected against the measles virus. Two doses of measles vaccine provide protection.
By 1999, 85% of children in the Western Pacific had received the first vaccine against the measles virus and that figure has been maintained. Additionally, 79% of the children born in the Western Pacific in 1999 had access to a second dose of vaccine.
A further benefit in the fight against measles in the Western Pacific has been the introduction of mass vaccine campaigns, where between 1999 and 2005 more than 50 million children were vaccinated against the measles virus. This was especially important in countries such as Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Viet Nam, which did not have the second dose of vaccine as part of their national routine immunization programme.
China and the Philippines, two key countries in the fight against measles, account for 80% of the population in the Western Pacific and have made significant contribution to regional measles mortality reduction and elimination drive. Further efforts are being made to mobilize resources to support their measles reduction efforts.
The Western Pacific Region also acknowledges the generous support provided by AusAID, CIDA, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, International Finance Facility for Immunisation and Japan International Cooperation Agency.