Political support and strong public health systems key to eliminating measles outbreaks worldwide

Strong political support and strong public health systems are needed to fight measles epidemics, which are becoming more common worldwide, say public health experts in a commentary on CMAJ (Journal of the Canadian Medical Association).

"The long-term elimination of measles requires strong regional public health systems," Drs write. Natasha Crowcroft and Shelly Bolotin, Public Health Ontario and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. "In a globalized society in which we are all connected, a disease as infectious as measles – the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease – is easily transmitted.To prevent this, public health programs need to provide vaccine coverage close to 100 %, which is a technical challenge. "

The World Health Organization has reported a 300% increase in measles cases in the first three months of 2019 compared to 2018.

"In the war against microbes, victories are won at a very good price and the resulting peace is fragile," the authors write. "It took many years in the Americas to verify the elimination of measles in 2016. It took only two years of political turmoil in Venezuela to sufficiently disrupt the health system to erase that result."

Ensuring that everyone is vaccinated is complex and requires coordination at the local level, which is compromised by the pockets of advocates of the fight against vaccination. Strong public health systems are needed to ensure immunization for all and to monitor this use with precision.