America Becomes First Region of World to Eliminate Measles

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The Pan American Health Organization says endemic measles has been eliminated from the Americas — all the countries in North, South and Central America. The achievement comes after years of intense efforts to vaccinate children under the age of five.

Countries in Latin America reported their last endemic cases of measles in 2002. A country is considered disease-free if there have been no new cases for three years, and the report had to be certified by the International Committee of Experts for Documentation and Verification of Measles, Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Elimination in the Americas.

The Committee received evidence from all countries in the region between last year and this past August. The committee also found the Americas has been declared free of another childhood illness, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, since 2015.

Carissa Etienne, the director of PAHO, called the certification that no more home-grown measles cases exist in the Americas an “extraordinary milestone,” saying endemic measles elimination can be achieved when countries work together at the local, state and federal levels.

Internationally, the effort was assisted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Red Cross, and the March of Dimes.