WHO Regional Office for Africa

New Capabilities

Co-authored the 2026 measles vaccination analysis

In 2000, measles killed roughly 480,000 people a year in Africa, mostly children under five. A quarter-century of sustained vaccination — more than half a billion routine doses and 622 million supplemental campaign doses across 44 countries — has cut that toll in half, saving an estimated 19.5 million lives. Three sub-Saharan nations have now eliminated the disease entirely, a milestone once considered decades away.

Updated May 31