28 November 2025
Officials said global outbreaks
are accelerating as millions of children remain
under-immunized following years of COVID-19
pandemic-related disruption.
“Measles
remains one of the most contagious respiratory
viruses,” said Dr. Kate O’Brien, WHO’s Director of
Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.
“One
person can infect up to 18 others. Many people think measles
is not serious – but it is, and it can be deadly.
One in five infected children ends up in the
hospital.”
Last year, around 11 million people
worldwide were infected, nearly 800,000 more than in the
pre-pandemic period. Most of the deaths occurred in children
under five, with about 80 per cent in Africa and the Eastern
Mediterranean.
“But no child needs to suffer the
consequences of measles,” Dr. O’Brien stressed. “Two
doses of vaccine provide 95 per cent protection. The tragedy
is that children are unprotected because the system is not
reaching them.”
Outbreaks tripled since
2021
Measles outbreaks continue to rise sharply. In
2024, 59 countries experienced large or disruptive outbreaks
– almost three times as many as in 2021 – and a quarter
of them had previously eliminated measles.
Only 84 per
cent of children globally received their first dose of
measles vaccine last year, but just 76 per cent received the
crucial second dose – leaving as many as 30 million
children under-protected. Three-quarters of them were in
Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, many in
conflict-affected or highly mobile
communities.
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“Measles respects no
borders,” said Diana Chang-Blanc, Head of WHO’s
Essential Programme on Immunization. “A country is
only protected when every child, everywhere is fully
immunized.”
Why cases are
rising
According to WHO, three factors are driving
the surge:
Pandemic-era backsliding,
as health workers were diverted to COVID-19
response
Large numbers of zero-dose
children, now concentrated in fragile and conflict
settings
Weak routine vaccination
systems, even in otherwise strong health
systems
Vaccine misinformation and limited
access
Dr. O’Brien also addressed vaccine
misinformation, stating that false claims – especially
online – undermine trust, but noted that access gaps, not
hesitancy, remain the biggest barrier to stopping
measles.
“The biggest barrier is access, not
hesitancy,” she said. “Parents everywhere want
the best for their children. What they need is reliable
information and a health system that can reach
them.”
Still, she called for political,
community and religious leaders to “share accurate,
evidence-based information,” noting that trust is “the
beginning, middle and end of successful vaccination
programmes.”
A chance to course-correct
More
than 11 million children have already been vaccinated
through the global “Big Catch-Up” campaign, which
continues through 2025.
But WHO said countries need
stronger surveillance, faster outbreak response and renewed
political commitment to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030
targets.
