Measles deaths worldwide fell by 78 percent between 2000 and 2008, from an estimated 733,000 in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
All regions, with the exception of South-East Asia, have achieved the United Nations goal of reducing measles mortality by 90 percent from 2000 to 2010, two years ahead of target, the agency said in a statement.
Vaccinating nearly 700 million children against measles, through large-scale immunization campaigns and increased routine immunization
coverage, has prevented an estimated 4.3 million measles deaths in less than a decade, it said.
However, global immunization experts warn of a resurgence in measles deaths if vaccination efforts are not sustained.
"So much has been achieved in the past several years thanks to the hard work and commitment of national governments and donors. But with only two years until the target date, there are signs of stalling momentum," said WHO
Director-General Margaret Chan.
"This is a highly contagious disease that can quickly take advantage of any lapse in effort," she added.
The WHO is one of the leaders of the Measles Initiative partnership, which since 2001 has been providing technical and financial support to
governments and communities on vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance worldwide.
Currently the Measles Initiative is tackling a funding gap of 59 million U.S. dollars for vaccination campaigns in 2010. If unaddressed, this resource gap could allow for a resurgence of measles deaths.
Immunization experts fear the combined effect of decreased political and financial commitment could result in an estimated 1. 7 million measles-related deaths between 2010 and 2013, with more than half a million deaths in 2013 alone, compared to 164,000 in 2008, the statement said.
Measles is among the world's most contagious diseases and one of the leading causes of death among children worldwide.
The one region that may jeopardize achieving the 2010 goal is South-East Asia -- which includes heavily populated countries such as India, Indonesia and Bangladesh -- where measles deaths declined only 46 percent between 2000 and 2008.
Delayed implementation of large-scale vaccination campaigns in India, the country with the majority of measles deaths, is largely accountable for this lack of progress.