Brazzaville, 27 November 2013 – A three-day meeting of about 100 health experts got under way on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana, to discuss the progress towards the elimination of measles and the epidemiological situation of rubella in the African Region.

Participants in the meeting include immunization programme managers, WHO experts and representatives of national paediatric societies from the 47 Member States in the Region.

WHO, in collaboration with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, is organizing the Regional Consultation which is aimed at providing participants with technical updates, and reviewing the efforts being made to eliminate measles and control rubella in the Region. The meeting will also pave the way for the close collaboration between national pediatric societies and national immunization programmes towards the elimination of measles and rubella/ congenital rubella syndrome.

Measles elimination remains a priority in the WHO African region whose Member States, in 2011, set a goal to eliminate measles by 2020, building on progress in the reduction of measles mortality in the Region. With the implementation of the WHO-UNICEF recommended strategies, between the years 2000 and 2011, estimated measles mortality has been reduced by 84% in the African Region.

The objectives of the Regional measles elimination strategy are to: reduce measles incidence in all countries; increase access to immunization services in all districts; improve coverage during all scheduled measles supplemental immunization activities and outbreak response immunization activities, as well as conducting high quality disease surveillance and epidemiological investigation of measles outbreaks in all countries.

The targets set out in the strategy are that by 2020, all countries in the African Region will achieve and maintain: measles incidence of less than 1 case per million population at national level; at least 95% measles immunization coverage at national level and in all districts; at least 95% coverage in all scheduled measles SIAs, and in outbreak response immunization activities; and at least 80% of districts investigating one or more suspected measles cases within a year.

The implementation of measles elimination strategies has created an excellent opportunity for the integrated introduction of rubella vaccines and eventual adoption of an elimination target for rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. WHO and partners have started supporting countries to introduce rubella vaccine.

In order to achieve the 2020 measles elimination target, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts must be intensified at global and country levels so that the recommended strategies can be implemented timely and in a manner that addresses the epidemiological priorities in all countries of the Region. 

Communication, Media and Advocacy Unit -  cam [at] afro.who.int  tel: +47 241 39100