Dr. Kate O'Brien

The report says nearly 59 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccine since 2000.

That's more than any other childhood vaccine of the past 50 years.

Even so, an estimated 95,000 people, mostly children under age five, died from measles last year.

While that death toll is among the lowest in recent decades, WHO officials say it's still unacceptably high for a vaccine-preventable disease.

Dr. Kate O'Brien of the WHO said measles cases serve as an alarm for public health officials.

She says the report underscores the urgent need to vaccinate children around the world against measles.

Maria Godoy, NPR News.