An estimated 15.6 million children under five contracted measles worldwide in 2023, up from 11.1 million in 2019. New studies published in Nature Medicine estimate that measles deaths also rose from about 105,000 to 118,000 over the same period. The findings highlight persistent gaps in childhood immunisation, with global coverage for the first measles vaccine dose falling to 81 per cent in 2023, below pre-pandemic levels.