According to the Pan-American Health Organization ((PAHO), there has been no endemic transmission of measles in the Americas, including the Caribbean, since 2002. In fact, according to the regional body, measles deaths have disappeared from the region with the last case being in Venezuela in 2001.
According to a PAHO statement, “These successes, achieved by the countries of the Americas with support from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (WHO), make the Americas the first region in the world to eliminate one of the world’s most contagious diseases and a leading cause of death for young children.”
Despite the success rate being attributed to vaccination and early detection, PAHO indicated that the region still faces the threat of “imported” cases from outside the hemisphere.
“For more than a decade, there has been no endemic measles in the Americas, thanks to countries’ efforts to vaccinate children and maintain high coverage rates,” said Dr. Gina Tambini, director of PAHO’s Family, Gender and Life Course Department.
“But until the rest of the world eliminates the disease, we must be on the alert for any reintroduction of cases that could lead to outbreaks and jeopardize the continuity of this public health milestone,” she added.
According to WHO estimates released last week, there were 226,722 measles cases and 122,000 deaths in other regions of the world as recorded 2012. These figures are indicative of 77 percent in cases and 78 percent in deaths since 2000, respectively.
Before the establishment of PAHO/WHO’s Expanded Immunization Program in 1977, more than 250,000 measles cases and 12,000 deaths were recorded yearly in the Americas.
According to the organization, a study on the cost-effectiveness of measles elimination in Latin America and the Caribbean, which included PAHO/WHO experts, estimated that the cost of preventing one measles case is US$71.75, and preventing one death costs US$15,000, indicating cost-effectiveness.
