The measles campaign in West and Central Africa: Remembering the future

The rainy season was once the harbinger of measles and child deaths in Western Africa, but measles has now become so uncommon that some younger West African doctors have never seen a single case. A series of successful measles campaigns were carried out in the late eighties through the early part of this century in West Africa—these campaigns have almost eliminated measles in Mali, the thirtieth poorest country in the world. This article provides a retelling of the measles campaigns that were carried out in West Africa during that time period for young doctors and vaccine researchers. The power of vaccination to stop an endemic disease from killing between 5 and 20% of children under the age of five living in rural villages in West and Central Africa is recalled, and the importance of vaccination for the improvement of human life is considered deserving of renewed emphasis.