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Nearly 60 million lives have been saved by measles and rubella vaccinations over the past 25 years. But communities around the world, particularly those with already strained resources, are still at risk.

The newly released Measles Outbreak Strategic Framework (MOSF) 2026–2030 responds to this reality. Rather than focusing on managing outbreaks reactively, it shifts the focus to preventing them proactively by addressing cross-border spread, funding shortfalls, and immunity gaps in fragile and under-resourced communities with a focus on barriers tied to gender, mobility, trust, and access.

Unlike many communicable diseases, measles requires a 95% vaccination coverage to be effective. Despite record immunization rates and more countries reaching elimination status than ever before, persistent immunity gaps and uneven coverage continue to drive outbreaks. From 2022 to 2026, the number of countries experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks nearly doubled from 33 to 62. Stalled immunization progress and a growing number of zero-dose children—those who have not received a single vaccine dose—have fueled these shifts.

The Framework equips global, regional, and national decision-makers—including donors, program managers, technical agencies, implementing partners, and health authorities—with strategies for outbreak prevention, detection, and response. It also identifies priority action areas, informs policy and advocacy efforts, and supports resource mobilization, while helping countries align national efforts with broader global priorities.

Learn more about the report and the Partnership’s efforts to address outbreaks here.

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Photo Credit: © World Health Organization/Kiana Hayeri, 2022

Photo Caption: On 27 November 2022, a daily meeting is held at Ataturk Hospital in Kabul for resident doctors to report to seniors and supervisors and receive feedback on their performance.