World: Lower-income countries push to reach more than 85 million children with measles vaccine

• Following an alarming global rise in measles cases and outbreaks, lower Income countries are accelerating efforts with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

• Gavi-supported measles campaigns aim to reach more than 85 million children across 22 countries, between 2022 and the first half of 2023

• Gavi has also supported 9 countries respond to outbreaks in 2022, dedicating an additional US$ 10 million to support outbreak response in lower-income countries

Geneva, 28 October 2022 – Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on critical routine health activities and secondary impacts on malnutrition leading to alarming rise in measles cases and outbreaks globally, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) is working with governments, communities and other partners in a concerted effort to rollout measles vaccines to vulnerable children across Lower Income Countries.

From 2022 through the first half of 2023, Gavi plans to support 22 lower-income countries to undertake measles follow-up campaigns aiming to reach more than 85 million children. These countries represent applications approved to-date, with Alliance partners continuing to work with other priority and at-risk countries. In parallel, Gavi has stepped up support for outbreak response, dedicating an additional US$ 10 million and supporting nine countries with response activities so far this year.

“Measles vaccination not only prevents outbreaks and deaths, but it also serves as an entry point for routine immunisation. Given the high rates of coverage needed, these campaigns can help identify un- and under-immunized children, bringing them more consistently into the health system,” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programs at Gavi. “This is critical for the sustainability of the measles response, reducing outbreaks in the long-term, and can also help save lives from other vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Thanks to the widespread introduction of measles vaccine, global measles deaths have fallen dramatically – in 2000, more than a million children died from measles, by 2020 this number was at a little over 60,000 deaths. Even with that impressive decline, however, progress has stalled in recent years. The pandemic further impacted this: recent data from the 57 lower-income countries supported by Gavi shows that coverage of a first dose of measles vaccine (MCV1) fell by a total 4% during the pandemic. The pandemic also impacted countries’ abilities to undertake surveillance and report cases, making more outbreaks inevitable.

But now lower-income country governments, with support from Gavi and partners, are pushing back. Between January and October 2022, follow-up campaigns were launched in Burundi, Guinea, Madagascar, Syria (Damascus) and recently Gambia. In Zimbabwe, a planned campaign was fast-tracked in response to an outbreak in September. In total, urgent efforts across multiple countries will aim to reach millions of children through the first half of 2023.

Alongside introductions, catch-up and follow-up campaigns, Gavi is supporting governments with dedicated outbreak response activities, helping 9 countries combat outbreaks so far this year. Working through the Measles and Rubella Initiative’s (M&RI) Outbreak Response Fund (ORF), Gavi is the main funder of measles outbreak response activities in lower-income countries – providing a total of US$ 85 million to cover the more than 60 country applications for outbreak response support the ORF has received since 2013. M&RI is a partnership of American Red Cross, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), United Nations Foundation, and World Health Organization.

In its current strategic period (2021-2025), with a mission to ‘leave no one behind with immunization’, Gavi is also deepening its investments in health and immunization systems strengthening. In particular, the Alliance is focused on providing targeted support to reach “zero-dose children” and missed communities through routine programs, dedicating US$ 500 million through a special Equity Accelerator Fund (EAF) to be accessed by Gavi eligible countries to ‘identify’ reach the zero dose children through innovative approaches and partnerships to overcome systemic challenges. Up to US$100 million of this has been set aside for the Zero-Dose Immunization Program (ZIP), a collaboration between Gavi and non-government organizations with humanitarian expertise, with the aim to reach zero-dose children amongst refugees and displaced populations across fragile and conflict-affected countries in the Sahel and Horn of Africa.

A UNIQUE CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY

One of the top vaccine-preventable killers of children, measles is both highly contagious and requires close to 95% vaccine coverage through routine vaccination and highly effective supplemental campaigns to stop from spreading. This presents a significant challenge to countries, particularly for low-income countries, where the vast majority of measles deaths occur. These more vulnerable health systems need to consistently and effectively reach large parts of their population, including “zero-dose children” who are systemically left behind. With the rising birth cohort in Africa, countries need to reach more children every year just to maintain coverage. Following the pandemic, countries are also dealing with several other competing health priorities, making planning and implementing effective campaigns extremely challenging.

At the same time, measles vaccination represents an important opportunity to improve the overall strength of a health system. If a zero-dose child can be identified through a measles campaign, this is a critical entry point for both routine immunization and other essential services. This can help save more lives and build trust while also increasing countries’ abilities to detect and respond to outbreaks.

Notes to editors

Gavi’s support for measles vaccination in lower-income countries has four key elements:

• Gavi promotes and funds catch-up vaccination through routine immunization, to catch-up coverage and prevent further backslide.
• The Alliance also supports countries to increase their first and second dose (MCV1 and MCV2) coverage, leveraging its “zero dose” agenda resources as well as funding the switch to a lower dose-per-vial presentation, which has been shown to increase coverage in less population-dense settings.
• In addition, Gavi supports the planning, application and implementation of regular preventive measles / measles-rubella (M/MR) follow-up campaigns that supplement routine immunization and aim to identify and reach un- or under-immunized children.
• Finally, Gavi also supports outbreak response through funding the MRI Outbreak Response Fund.

Find out more about Gavi support for measles

Read measles stories from Gavi-supported countries on our VaccinesWork digital platform

About M&RI

The Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&RI) is a partnership between the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. CDC, UNICEF and WHO. Working with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and other stakeholders, the Initiative is committed to achieving and maintaining a world without measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. Since 2000, M&RI has helped deliver over 5.5 billion doses of measles vaccine to children worldwide and saved over 25.5 million lives by increasing vaccination coverage, responding to outbreaks, monitoring and evaluation, and supporting demand for vaccine.

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 981 million children – and prevented more than 16.2 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gavi is a co-convener of COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. In its role, Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Collins Weru Mwai
+25 078 783 66 38
cmwai@gavi.org

Meg Sharafudeen
+41 79 711 55 54
msharafudeen@gavi.org

Evan O’Connell
+41 79 682 18 95
eoconnell@gavi.org

Cirũ Kariũki
+41 79 913 94 41
ckariuki@gavi.org

Laura Shevlin
+41 79 529 92 87
lshevlin@gavi.org

World: Lower-income countries push to reach more than 85 million children with measles vaccine
Source: Philippines Legacy PH