Measles control in young infants: where do we go from here?

Infants and children of many countries throughout the world are at risk for measles. The major reason for high measles mortality and morbidity in developing and developed countries is the failure of health services to attain and hold sufficiently high vaccination coverage rates at appropriate ages. A large percentage of the young population must be vaccinated, and in timely fashion. The recommendation to employ high-titre measles vaccine at age 6 months, in countries where measle mortality is high prior to age 9 months has been withdrawn. This approach had been considered essential in the battle against measles. The author notes that the implementation of measles vaccine policies must be improved before judgments may be made regarding the success of failure of a given vaccine. The author further discusses the Schwarz vaccine, the 2-dose vaccination schedule, vaccination of older children, and mass vaccination in Brazil. In sum, the world's poorest countries need long-term support and assistance from foreign governments and donors to implement effective vaccination strategies.