Each year, a disease barely remembered by most Americans kills nearly 164,000 children, most under the age of 5. This fact makes measles a leading cause of death among young children. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known and causes severe health complications, such as pneumonia, blindness, diarrhea and encephalitis. In places where health conditions are extremely poor, living conditions are more than difficult, and access to health care is minimal, measles can be easily prevented with a simple vaccination.

The Measles Initiative represents a long-term commitment to control measles deaths in Africa and Asia. Since the launch of the program in 2001, nearly 700 million children have been vaccinated and numerous deaths have been prevented. Leading this effort are the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and United Nations Children's Fund. Other key players in the fight against measles include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and countries and governments affected by measles.

Thanks in large part to the Measles Initiative, measles deaths in Africa have dropped by 92%, by 93% in the Eastern Mediterranean and globally by 68% since 2000. But there is still work to be done! The goal of the Measles Initiative is to reduce global measles deaths by 90%. Virtually the only way Americans might see measles again is by traveling to an endemic country or by exposure from a person carrying the disease importing it into the country. By controlling the disease worldwide, Americans can be sure that measles remains only a faint memory.

For less than a dollar, a child can be easily and safely vaccinated against a disease that is so deadly, yet so simple to prevent. That dollar covers the cost of all necessary resources needed for a mass measles campaign - from the vaccine, syringes and cotton balls to the social mobilization of volunteers. Social mobilization is led by the Red Cross and is the process of educating and gathering communities to achieve the highest immunization coverage possible.