Global measles resurgence accelerates as vaccination rates falter in low-income countries

After decades of progress, worldwide measles cases are rising again, driven by falling vaccination coverage amid political turmoil and pandemic disruptions, with the most severe outbreaks in Africa and Asia.

Measles is resurging worldwide after decades of progress, with the World Health Organisation estimating that cases are now about 8% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. That marks a clear reversal from the steady decline seen over the previous two decades, and health officials warn that the virus remains one of the most contagious infectious diseases in circulation.

The WHO says nearly 11 million people are expected to contract measles in 2026, with the heaviest burden in Africa and Asia. But outbreaks are also spreading across the Americas and Europe, where hundreds or even thousands of cases are being reported in some countries. The agency says the common thread is falling vaccination coverage. Measles can be prevented safely and effectively with vaccine doses, and without them children face the risk of severe complications including deafness, blindness and death, especially if they are undernourished or unable to get supportive care.

The problem widened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chains and clinic access were disrupted across much of the world. According to the article by the University of Richmond epidemiologist Kathryn Jacobsen, many higher-income countries have recovered much of the missed immunisation, but large numbers of children in poorer countries remain unvaccinated. She wrote that roughly 80% of young children in low- and middle-income countries have received at least one dose, compared with more than 90% in the United States and average coverage in Europe that still falls short of the level needed for full protection. Because measles is so infectious, communities need vaccination rates above 95% to stop outbreaks.

Jacobsen’s account highlights Bangladesh as one of the clearest examples of how political turmoil and vaccine shortages can combine to fuel epidemics. She said the country has recorded more measles cases than any other this year and more than 900 deaths, after government upheaval disrupted procurement and later efforts to secure supply through new channels. Even after a mass vaccination campaign earlier this year immunised more than 1 million children, coverage remains far below the threshold needed to halt transmission. Similar outbreaks have also taken hold in conflict-affected countries such as Sudan, Yemen and Somalia, as well as in places where vaccine hesitancy has spread through tightly knit religious communities in the Americas. WHO data from 2019 showed that measles cases had already reached their highest level in more than two decades, underlining how sharply the trend has deteriorated.