Measles deaths fall but vaccine gaps threaten progress: WHO

January 21, 2013 - Fatal cases of measles have fallen by nearly 75 percent globally since 2000, but big outbreaks in Asian and African states with low vaccination rates jeopardize progress towards eradication, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said last week. The highly-contagious disease is a leading cause of death among young children around the world, especially the poor, malnourished and unvaccinated. Measles deaths globally decreased by 71 percent between 2000 and the end of 2011, from 542,000 to 158,000, according to the WHO's latest data. Over the same period, new cases dropped by 58 percent from 853,500 in 2000 to 355,000 in 2011. The setback has been due to some large outbreaks, in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, India and Nigeria. The WHO recommends two doses of vaccine. But an estimated 20 million children worldwide did not receive the first dose of vaccine in 2011, leaving them vulnerable to the virus, it said. More than half live in five countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. In 2011, major outbreaks were reported in DRC (134,042 cases), Ethiopia (3,255), India (29,339), Nigeria (18,843), Pakistan (4,386), France (14,949), Italy (5,189) and Spain (3,802), the WHO said.