Partnership for Measles Eradication in the Americas by the
year 2000:
Pan American Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
of the United States
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC), have joined
forces to eradicate measles in the Western Hemisphere by the year 2000. This
collaboration will ensure the successful completion of the target of measles
eradication and play a critical role in complementing national efforts towards
the prevention, control and eradication of other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The experience from the Americas has clearly demonstrated
that regional measles eradication can be achieved by using currently available
attenuated, live measles virus vaccines, and by utilizing an appropriate vaccination
strategy. The PAHO and CDC partnership will focus on strengthening measles
surveillance in the Americas and in ensuring that countries implement in full
the PAHO-recommended vaccination strategy to eradicate the disease. This partnership
will also be critical to advance towards the adoption and implementation of
a global measles eradication goal.
The PAHO-CDC collaboration will be carried out under the
framework of PAHO’s Regional Vaccine Initiative endorsed by all Heads
of States in the Americas in the 1998, which calls for partnerships among
countries in the Region and international organizations in vaccine research,
development and production; epidemiological surveillance for vaccine-preventable
diseases; and laboratory diagnosis.
Countries have been targeted, which are currently at high-risk
for measles outbreaks. These are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.
Specific areas of collaboration include:
Developing a surveillance system capable of detecting circulation of measles,
and strengthening collaboration with the global surveillance system to detect
and contain infectious disease outbreaks.
Strengthening national capabilities to effectively prevent, respond and
appropriately investigate outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Strengthening country’s annual routine measles vaccination programs at
the district level, and full implementation of PAHO’s recommended vaccination
strategy for measles eradication.
Strengthening regional and national capabilities to collect, analyze and
interpret epidemiological data and translate them into appropriate public
health policies.
Strengthening and expand capabilities for national laboratory diagnosis
and virus isolation.
Return to the Index,
Epidemiological Bulletin , Vol.
20 No. 2, June 1999
