Measles Initiative (MI), launched in 2001, is a long-term commitment and
partnershipA partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business. Partnerships are often favored over corporations for taxation purposes, as the partnership structure does not generally incur a tax on profits before it is distributed to the...
among leaders in
public healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based...
and supports the goal of reducing
measlesMeasles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
deaths globally by 90% by 2010 compared to 2000 estimates.
Largely due to the technical and financial support of the Measles Initiative and the commitment from African governments, 217 million children have been vaccinated against measles and 1.2 million lives have been saved since 1999.
Measles Initiative (MI), launched in 2001, is a long-term commitment and
partnershipA partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business. Partnerships are often favored over corporations for taxation purposes, as the partnership structure does not generally incur a tax on profits before it is distributed to the...
among leaders in
public healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based...
and supports the goal of reducing
measlesMeasles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
deaths globally by 90% by 2010 compared to 2000 estimates.
Impact
Largely due to the technical and financial support of the Measles Initiative and the commitment from African governments, 217 million children have been vaccinated against measles and 1.2 million lives have been saved since 1999. Building on this achievement, in 2005, the Initiative has expanded its technical and financial support to countries in
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, where total measles deaths are highest outside of
sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
.
Since 2001, the Measles Initiative has mobilized more than $200 million and supported more than 40 African countries and three Asian countries in implementing high-quality measles
vaccinationVaccination is the administration of antigenic material to produce immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by a pathogen. Vaccination is generally considered to be the most effective and cost-effective method of preventing infectious diseases...
campaigns. As a result, global measles deaths have dropped by 48% from 871,000 in 1999 to an estimated 454,000 in 2004 thanks to improvements in routing and supplementary
immunizationImmunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent ....
activities. The largest reduction occurred in Africa, the region with the highest burden of the disease, where estimated measles cases and deaths dropped by 60%.
How the initiative is structured
The mechanism for the Initiative is an
American Red CrossThe American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States, and is the designated U.S...
-led partnership with operational support to measles burdened countries. The Initiative has adopted the highly successful
Rotary-Engineering and Machinery:* Rotary engine, a type of internal combustion engine from the early 20th century** Rotary engine sometimes means the Wankel engine in particular* A rotary latch* Rotary milking shed, a type of milking shed used in the dairy industry...
-led global polio eradication initiative as a model. Rotary's strategy was two-fold: repeated vaccination campaigns reinforced by routine vaccination. The Initiative employs a similar approach - initial mass catch-up campaigns to vaccinate every child who may be at risk with follow-up campaigns three to four years later to vaccinate children who have been born sine the catch-up campaign.
Background
In February 2001, American Red Cross convened a meeting with other global healthcare organizations. American Red Cross,
CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention is a United States government public health agency.CDC is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-Government:* California Department of Corrections, the US state of California's prison system...
, UNICEF, UN Foundation, and
WHO*Who is an English language interrogative pronoun.-In fiction:*Who? , a 1958 novel by science fiction author Algis Budrys, turned into a film with the same title in 1973*Doctor Who, a British science fiction television series...
met to discuss the growing problem of measles in Africa. The organizations decided that the problem needed immediate action, especially considering that death from measles is preventable.
In the battle to reduce
mortalityMortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in some population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of deaths per 1000 individuals per year; thus, a mortality rate of 9.5 in a population of 100,000 would mean 950 deaths per...
from measles, partnership is crucial because each player brings a different strength and talent to bear. WHO designs the policies and health guidelines for each country to ensure proper, safe steps are taken during immunization campaigns. UNICEF is the only organization allowed to import the vaccine into most developing countries and has a sophisticated logistics capacity as well as great stature in the country. CDC provides funding and the technical and scientific basis for the policies and advises countries on program planning. The UN Foundation provides a substantial amount of funding as well as the financial mechanisms necessary to move funds between agencies and to countries. American Red Cross provides funding and has the network of Red Cross societies around the world and the volunteers to do social mobilization, ensuring each child has a chance to be vaccinated.
Partners
The partners of Measles Initiative are:
- American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States, and is the designated U.S...
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
- United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation is a public charity, created in 1998 with Ted Turner’s $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. It is an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas, and resources to help the United Nations solve global problems.It helps the UN take its...
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services based in Atlanta, Georgia. It works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and it promotes health through...
(CDC)
- World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health...
(WHO)
- United Nations Children's Fund
The United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
(UNICEF)
These organization endorsed a joint declaration on January 31, 2001 declaring their intent to fight measles in Africa.
External links