A measles vaccination campaign takes place at a school in Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Eliminating measles and rubella
The Western Pacific Region has committed to achieving elimination of both measles and rubella in every Member State, and is making steady progress towards the achievement of this important milestone. In 2017, the Regional Committee endorsed the new Regional Strategy and Plan of Action for Measles and Rubella Elimination in the Western Pacific, and urged Member States to eliminate rubella as soon as possible, and for each Member State to set individual target dates for rubella elimination. Eight countries and areas have been verified for measles elimination and 7 for rubella elimination.
Measles cases have gone up by 255% in the Western Pacific from 2022 to 2023 (data as of 1 March 2024) due to decreases in measles vaccinations significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased movement of populations.
WHO works with Member States to achieve measles and rubella elimination by ensuring that their immunization programmes can deliver two doses of the combined vaccine to prevent measles and rubella to every person who needs it. This includes increasing the number of children reached by routine immunization and conducting additional immunization activities to reach unvaccinated people. WHO also works with countries to strengthen their capacity to detect possible cases of measles and rubella, respond rapidly to prevent further spread, and identify and further protect populations at risk.
