Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative—led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization—provides technical and financial support to governments and communities for mass vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance around the world.

In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year. With accelerated immunization activities spearheaded by governments and the Measles Initiative, global measles mortality has decreased by an impressive 78 percent worldwide from 733,000 deaths in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008. Reductions in measles-related deaths during that same time period accounts for nearly a quarter (24 percent) of the overall decrease in childhood mortality, representing significant progress toward Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4). This goal, which was set by the UN, aims to reduce the mortality rate for children less than five years by two thirds between 1990 and 2015

For any campaign to be successful, the community must participate. The American Red Cross provides financial support and training to Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in Africa on community education and mobilization. This training prepares volunteers to go house-to-house to educate families about the importance of getting vaccinated and where they can access immunization services – enabling campaigns to reach children in the most remote villages.

News: Measles Initiative Marks Milestone: One Billion Children Vaccinated in First Decade

To learn more, visit www.measlesinitiative.org

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