Bhutan has officially become one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to eliminate measles. In an exciting announcement, the World Health Organization verified that Bhutan ended the measles epidemic in their nation, without any cases of indigenous measles since 2012. This milestone puts Bhutan well ahead of the 2020 deadline for the region, setting an example of how a strong commitment to public health can pay off.
WHO’s Regional Director for South-East Asia commended the achievement saying, “The strongest political commitment, alongside the concerted efforts of health workers, officials, and partners at all levels, has helped achieve this landmark success, which is a boost to the Region’s effort to eliminate measles and control rubella.”
Our partnership with Walgreens and their Get a Shot. Give a Shot® program helped make the milestone of eliminating measles in Bhutan a reality. Get a Shot. Give a Shot.® helped provide measles vaccines to children in the most rural areas of Bhutan through a 2016 campaign. These vaccines are the preventative measure that provide the children of Bhutan a shot at life.
To get a peek at how the Get a Shot. Give a Shot.® program looks in action, check out this short video that shares the journey of a child to a community health clinic to be vaccinated. While this video shows the story of only one child, the Get a Shot. Give a Shot® program has been able to help provide more than 20 million vaccines worldwide. Through our work with partners around the world, Walgreens and Shot@Life continue to prove that #VaccinesWork.
Which country will reach this vital milestone next? We want to make Bhutan’s success, a global success. You can help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need when you get your flu shot or any other vaccine at your local Walgreens. Learn more about Get a Shot. Give a Shot®.