Eliminating measles and rubella: new commission meets

Countries in the WHO European Region have committed to eliminating measles and rubella by 2015. WHO/Europe has developed a framework to document progress towards and verify elimination.

The European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) met for the first time on 24–25 January 2012, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, welcomed RVC’s eight members, and thanked them for their commitment to the verification process.

The RVC will meet at least once a year to evaluate and verify progress towards elimination, and, when necessary, visit countries to deal with specific issues. It will liaise with national committees overseeing the verification process in countries. Advocating further action where necessary will be another key part of its work.

Speaking at the close of the meeting, Dr Robin Biellik, RVC member, commented, “Historically, there has been a high level of mortality related to measles, but today the disease is preventable. The vaccine against it is cheap, safe and effective, and eliminating the disease is therefore an important public health priority.”

The RVC will meet again at the end of the year.