Current impact of measles in Latin America

The importance of measles as a public health problem and its impact on mortality in children has been recognized for many years in Latin America. This problem was analyzed in detail in 1961 at the International Conference on Measles Immunization held in Bethesda, Maryland. However, despite the availability of good vaccine since 1963, only two countries--Chile and Cuba--have achieved the goal of the 10-year health plan for the Americas, which was a specific mortality rate of less than one death per 100,000 population. The reasons for this epidemiologic situation are mainly three: inability of the health-care infrastructure of the countries to reach the susceptibles and maintain effective national coverage in the vaccination programs, inadequate cold chain, and the high cost of vaccine. This situation is beginning to change with the implementation of the World Health Organization Expanded Programme on Immunization and the help and catalytic power of the Pan American Health Organization. Because of this we are optimistic about the success the measles vaccination programs may achieve during the 1980s.