TEHRAN – Despite a surge in measles cases worldwide over the past few months, the illness is under control in the country, with only eight confirmed cases reported since the beginning of the new Iranian year, March 21, an official with the health ministry has said.

Measles is potentially a deadly disease. Severe complications include pneumonia, diarrhea, blindness, and encephalitis (brain swelling). The symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash. Measles vaccines (two doses) are administered when children are 12 months and 18 months old.

In the first month of the spring, out of 266 suspected measles cases, only eight were identified as measles, which shows a sharp decrease compared to the same period last year, when 266 out of 828 suspected cases were confirmed as measles, Borna quoted Qobad Moradi as saying.

High vaccination coverage and an effective surveillance and tracking system have significantly reduced the risk of widespread disease transmission, Qobadi added.

The official went on to say that the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified that Iran has sustained measles elimination since 2019.

Iran, Oman, and Bahrain are the only countries in the region that have received the verification.

The measles vaccination program in Iran started in 1984, when 34 percent of the population was vaccinated in the first year, and 90 to 95 percent of the population after 6 years. Also in 2003, 33 million people were vaccinated with a national program to eradicate measles in the country.

In February, Alireza Raeisi, an official with the health ministry, said many European countries have lost WHO’s measles-free status, and measles is still prevalent in West Asia, particularly in the country’s eastern neighbours, such as Turkey.

This achievement is the result of coordinated planning, widespread vaccination, epidemiologic surveillance, and comprehensive participation of the country’s healthcare system. It is a turning point in improving public health, which will strengthen Iran’s position in achieving goals at the regional and international levels.

In April 2025, Raeisi said some 98 percent of the target population in the national program for the immunization against measles had been vaccinated.

However, ten to twenty thousand children under the age of one have yet to get vaccinated, and about five percent of the vaccinated individuals develop measles, IRNA quoted Raeisi as saying.

Disrupted vaccination programs in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan are the main risk factor threatening Iranians’ health, Raeisi stressed.

MT/MG