E-DRUG: MSF intervention at WHA on measles
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INTERVENTION BY MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES
World Health Assembly
Thank you Chair,
Despite extraordinary global progress in measles control since 2000,
measles remains endemic in many countries. Successful measles control
measles through EPI and supplementary immunisation activities at large
scale is real. This has perhaps made some complacent and this complacency
is dangerous.
We welcome the call of the WHO secretariat for new, ambitious measles
targets for 2015 but we are gravely concerned about the lacklustre
response to current outbreaks, and an acute measles funding crisis.
This year, there has been a resurgence of measles outbreaks throughout
Southern Africa, where cases continue to be reported even several months
after the beginning of the epidemic. If responded to appropriately, these
epidemics could have been contained and entirely preventable deaths
avoided.
We need to reinforce outbreak response immunization which is now
recognized as effective by WHO. Outbreak response immunisation is not yet
widely implemented as it is challenging to implement and sometimes not
authorized by authorities.
Responding to measles outbreaks with vaccination and concurrently
providing treatment free of charge also provides the opportunity for
children not reached by the routine system to receive their first dose,
and others with the second dose.
Prevention and treatment of measles are core activities of Médecins Sans
Frontières. In 2009 MSF vaccinated more than 1.5 million children in
response to outbreaks in more than 10 countries in collaboration with
Ministries of Health and other international actors. In order to sustain
progress in measles control and to progress even further, we need to put
this issue back in the spotlight.
Controlling measles epidemics necessitates political and financial
support. Funding and support for both routine services and outbreak
response have been declining, in favour of placing investments in new
vaccines and newer technologies. We are strong supporters of strengthening
childhood immunisation by delivering new vaccines that hold great promise
to reduce child mortality and achieve MDG4, but these new investments
should not come at the expense of proven, cheap and essential vaccines.
As long as measles is resurging, achieving MDG4 will be unlikely. The
Measles Initiative estimates that an estimated 164,000 people – 450 a day
– died from this easily preventable disease in 2008. Costing less than US
$1 to vaccinate a child, the measles control strategy, with high coverage
routine immunisation, supplementary activities where coverage is below 90%
for the first dose, vigilant surveillance, timely and comprehensive
outbreak response and free treatment, represents one of the most
cost-effective health interventions available.
We urge member states to give WHO the additional resources necessary to
assist countries in outbreak response and to ensure continuous support to
measles control programmes.
Thank you Chair
James ARKINSTALL <James.ARKINSTALL@paris.msf.org>