Despite a 79% worldwide decrease in measles deaths between 2000 and 2015, nearly 400 children still die from the disease every day, leading health organizations said in a report released today."Making measles history is not mission impossible," said Robin Nandy, UNICEF Immunization Chief. "We have the tools and the knowledge to do it; what we lack is the political will to reach every single child, no matter how far. Without this commitment, children will continue to die from a disease that is easy and cheap to prevent." Mass measles vaccination campaigns and a global increase in routine measles vaccination coverage saved an estimated 20.3 million young lives between 2000 and 2015, according to UNICEF; WHO; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But progress has been uneven. In 2015, about 20 million infants missed their measles shots and an…
