Vaccines | Special Message from the Guest Editor and Co-Guest Editors of Special Issue “A World without Measles and Rubella: Meeting the Regional Elimination Targets on the Path to Global Eradication”

The Vaccines (ISSN: 2076-393X) Special Issue on Measles Rubella Elimination (MRE) is now available online – “A World without Measles and Rubella: Meeting the Regional Elimination Targets on the Path to Global Eradication”. The World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, and a multitude of other partners from around the world, including the countries themselves, contributed to this Special Issue, which we believe is incredibly timely.

The expected COVID-19 post-pandemic surge of measles cases is well upon us. Regions and countries of the world are also well aware of the enormous challenges in sustaining previous progress made towards measles rubella elimination. Staff and health systems are at times overwhelmed, which was observed with the resurgence of measles in several countries in recent years.

To that end, this Special Issue highlights best practices for achieving the MRE target, including surveillance, vaccination strategies, outbreak response, and sustaining the progress. This Special Issue also addresses the many risks involved such as vaccine hesitancy. The recent WHO announcement of the 57 million measles deaths averted by vaccination between 2000 and 2022 is a testament to the importance of the work being performed. The addition of eliminating congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) arguably makes MRE the best buy in global health.

The Special Issue reinforces that global measles and rubella elimination is feasible. We, the Guest Editors, humbly call upon you to support a global target for MRE. The vast experience demonstrates that unless we have a unified global front, including a target, regions and countries will continue to be drastically under-supported in this endeavor. Together, we can ensure that no child is disabled by CRS and/or dies as a result of measles infection anywhere in the world.

We hope you enjoy reading the articles compiled in this Special Issue as much as we enjoyed being a part of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Jon Kim Andrus
Dr. Mark Papania
Dr. Sunil Bahl
Prof. Dr. David N. Durrheim
Dr. Katrina Kretsinger
Dr. Peter Strebel
Prof. Dr. Paul A. Rota
Dr. Susan Reef