Measles cases are on the rise worldwide and are now higher than before the pandemic
Global vaccination efforts have achieved an 88% reduction in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024, and nearly 59 million lives have been saved by the vaccine since the beginning of the century, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). However, an estimated 95,000 people—mostly children under the age of five—died from measles in 2024, a disease that could be prevented with an effective, low-cost vaccine. Although the death toll is one of the lowest in this period, measles cases are on the rise worldwide, with an estimated 11 million infections in 2024, nearly 800,000 more than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Specifically, cases in Europe increased by 47% between 2019 and 2024.
Quique Bassat - sarampión OMS EN
Quique Bassat
Director General and ICREA Research Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Although the number of deaths from measles is at an all-time low (95,000 deaths in 2024, the vast majority in children under five), we should be alarmed by the significant increase in cases compared to the pre-pandemic era, which is directly attributable to gaps in vaccination against this disease.
The fact that in 2025 hundreds of children continue to die every day from a disease that is 100% preventable by a highly effective and safe vaccine is simply inexplicable and unacceptable. Measles could have been the second disease eradicated from the face of the earth, but instead of celebrating another triumph of vaccine effectiveness, we still have to justify the need to vaccinate against this disease. Hopefully, the resurgence of this disease will serve—at least—as a reminder of the luxury of having vaccines and as a lesson not to repeat mistakes in the future.
Antoni et al. Weekly Epidemiological Record
- Report
