A few weeks back, part of the Minerva team attended the Measles & Rubella Partnership Meeting. Alongside our colleagues at Camber Collective, Minerva has been supporting the Partnership’s communications efforts for nearly a year now. The two-day event brought together major health organizations that have been steadfast in their commitment to a world free from measles and rubella.
The meeting was aptly timed: Did you know that less than three months into 2024, the CDC has reported that the United States has already surpassed the total number of measles cases recorded in 2023? Combined with the fact that 136,200 people died from measles globally in 2022, these numbers are jarring to say the least. Like so many others, I’ve found this disheartening.
The Measles & Rubella Partnership assists countries in raising vaccine coverage, supports outbreak responses, contributes to a global laboratory network, and more. Minerva’s role within M&RP has centered around effectively communicating the far-reaching work of all partners involved.
While at the event, Minerva interviewed folks who shared their expertise about the state of measles and rubella globally, and how the Partnership is supporting immunization programs. You can find many of these videos live on the Measles & Rubella Partnership X account, like this one from Dr. Mary Agocs, co-chair and director of the M&RP at American Red Cross.
Many of those we spoke with expressed their excitement for immunization innovations, specifically the microarray patch. This shelf-stable, injection-free patch has the potential to reach more people with the highly effective measles and rubella vaccine. Vaccine technologies like the microarray patch mark a major step toward protecting children everywhere who are at risk, especially those in hard-to-reach locations.
As I reflect on our time at the Partnership meeting, the sentiment I keep coming back to is that there is power in numbers. Gathering in-person and hearing directly from professionals in vaccine-preventable diseases reminded me how easy it is to read alarming data and abandon all hope.
Meanwhile, the experts are motivated and equipped to make changes. They turn data into action through collaboration. It serves as an important reminder that we have an opportunity to create lasting change when we shift the discouragement of bad news into motivation to find solutions.
