The World Health Organization has officially recognized Cabo Verde, Mauritius, and the Seychelles as countries that have eliminated measles and rubella. These island nations became the first sub-Saharan African countries to achieve this, joining 94 countries worldwide that have eliminated measles and 133 that have eliminated rubella. These infections are considered eradicated because endemic transmission was interrupted more than 36 months ago. At the same time, the countries maintained high-quality surveillance systems to quickly detect and isolate imported cases. Cabo Verde has not detected cases of measles and rubella since 1999 and 2010, Mauritius since 2019, and the Seychelles since 2020 and 2016. Triple measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination coverage in these countries exceeds 95 percent.
A measles and rubella control strategy, including mass vaccination, intensive monitoring, and rapid epidemic response, has been in place in the African region since the beginning of the 21st century. According to WHO estimates, it has prevented nearly 21 million deaths during this time. Meanwhile, the measles epidemic situation is significantly worsening in the Americas. Canada recently lost its status as a measles-free country, after endemic transmission had been uninterrupted for over 12 months. The United States and several other countries in the WHO Regional Office for the Americas may soon lose their status.
