Increasing vaccine coverage has helped avert nearly 20 million measles-related deaths in Africa since 2000, according to a report published on Wednesday.

In their first-ever detailed analysis of immunisation targets on the continent, the World Health Organization and the Gavi vaccine alliance estimated that 19.5 million measles deaths had been averted in Africa between 2000 and the end of 2024.

And during the same timeframe, routine immunisation had protected more than 500 million children across Africa against a range of other deadly diseases, the report found.

"This analysis, highlighting 24 years of remarkable progress on the African continent, demonstrates the immense life-saving power of vaccines when immunisation is prioritised as a matter of policy," Gavi chief Sania Nishtar said in a joint statement.

Supplemental campaigns

Since the start of the century, 44 African countries have introduced into their routine immunisation programmes a second vaccine dose against measles – one of the world's most contagious diseases.

This has helped increase coverage rates from 5% to 55% by 2024, the organisations said.

And they said supplemental campaigns had delivered 622 million more vaccinations against the disease, which causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a rash – but can also lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.

Together, they said those efforts "have halved measles deaths in the African region and led to a 40-percent drop in overall cases."

Increased vaccination drive

The organisations highlighted several countries that had made particular progress, including Cape Verde, Mauritius and the Seychelles, which last year became the first Sub-Saharan African countries to achieve measles and rubella elimination status.

The analysis also assessed overall progress in expanding immunisation coverage, with 13 vaccine preventable diseases now covered by routine schedules, up from eight in 2000.

A total of 47 Sub-Saharan African countries now provide hepatitis B as part of routine vaccination, 33 have introduced the rubella vaccine and 29 offer human papillomavirus vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer.

Malaria vaccine has meanwhile been introduced in 25 countries, the organisations said, also highlighting that immunisation has helped slash meningitis deaths in Africa by 39%.

'Remarkable progress'

"In 2024 alone, at least 1.9 million lives were saved through vaccination – 42 percent of which were due to measles vaccination," their statement said.

"Africa has made remarkable progress in less than a generation," Mohamed Janabi, WHO's regional director for Africa, said in the statement.

"But the progress is uneven, and even slowing, leaving too many children unprotected," he warned.

Wednesday's analysis highlighted that Africa remained "off track" towards achieving the WHO's 2030 goal of 90-percent vaccine coverage.

"We must urgently strengthen routine immunisation to leave no child behind," Janabi said.