Measles: A deadly comeback

Between 1855 and 2005, it is estimated that measles killed nearly 200 million people. Cases began to surge by 20% in 2023 to 10.3 million globally. 107,500 people died from measles that year while there were major outbreaks in 57 countries including India and Russia. Falling vaccination rates have been blamed for the surge. The WHO says 95% vaccine coverage is needed to prevent an outbreak but the worldwide rate in 2023 was 83%.