Western Pacific countries need to maintain high measles vaccination coverage and surveillance

There is a need for Western Pacific countries to maintain high coverage of measles vaccination and to increase surveillance of cases at international borders, the WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala urged, citing a 255% increase of measles cases from 2022 to 2023 in Western Pacific countries. Measles is one of the most infectious diseases on earth, spreading easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.