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A volcanic eruption was not part of the agenda.
But when travel disruptions in Indonesia earlier this month forced the World Health Organization (WHO), partners and experts to shift between in-person and virtual participation, critical meetings nonetheless went ahead.
The overarching WHO mission brought together the 14th Annual Meeting of the Regional Verification Commission (RVC) for Measles and Rubella Elimination and discussions with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and national technical committees, all focused on accelerating progress towards the elimination of these vaccine-preventable diseases as a public health threat.
From 7 to 11 September, all 13 RVC members and WHO experts came together to examine where the Western Pacific stands on one of its most ambitious public health goals.
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Participants of the 14th Annual Meeting of the Regional Verification Commission (RVC) for Measles and Rubella Elimination. © WHO
The determination to go ahead with the meetings despite travel restrictions caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano reflected the narrative they had gathered to discuss: While progress has been hard-won, circumstances do change – and long-term success depends on forging ahead with this crucial work.
Progress towards measles elimination
There was much to celebrate.
The Commission confirmed that all 29 Western Pacific countries and areas previously verified as having eliminated measles and rubella have maintained their elimination status, despite global and regional measles resurgence.
Verification goes beyond counting cases: Independent experts examine whether countries and areas have the population immunity, surveillance, laboratory capacity and outbreak response needed to demonstrate and sustain elimination.
But the job is not finished.
Nine countries are still working towards measles elimination: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Also, measles incidence across the Region rose to 35 cases per million people in 2025, returning to its pre-pandemic 2019 level.
“This is a clear warning not to be complacent: hard-won gains can be reversed if we do not act with urgency,” said Dr Huong Thi Giang Tran, Director of the Division for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control at WHO in the Western Pacific Region.
The meeting comes at a defining moment for immunization in the Western Pacific.
At the 77th Regional Committee meeting in October, Member States will consider a Regional Plan to Accelerate Immunization Progress through 2030, focused on three interconnected priorities: reducing zero-dose and under-immunized populations by 50%, achieving and sustaining measles and rubella elimination, and advancing immunization across the life-course.
Measles shows why these priorities belong together.
Because it is so infectious, measles quickly exposes immunity gaps and weaknesses in health systems. Reaching traditionally hard-to-reach communities and sustaining elimination depend on many of the same foundations: strong health workers, reliable data and surveillance, functioning supply chains, community trust and services that reach people wherever they live. Those stronger systems can also extend the benefits of immunization throughout life.
Countries learning from countries
Population mobility and cross-border transmission in an interconnected Region and world mean that immunity gaps can become shared risks. But countries can also share solutions.
The Commission called for stronger cooperation on surveillance, information sharing, outbreak preparedness and coordinated immunization action, alongside more structured peer learning between countries that have achieved elimination and those still working towards it.
To this end, WHO is exploring “twinning” arrangements between countries and plans to continue bringing together the nine countries yet to achieve elimination to review progress and exchange experience.
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Participants discussing during the mission in Indonesia. © WHO
From recommendations to action
Verification is not an endpoint. The Commission sees it as a longer-term tool for identifying gaps, strengthening accountability and keeping countries moving towards sustained elimination.
Building on recommendations from the regional consultation on measles and rubella elimination in May, the Commission called for country-owned, costed and time-bound elimination road maps, backed by political commitment, domestic investment and accountability.
The connection between regional recommendations and country action was also visible in Indonesia.
As part of the broader WHO mission, discussions with the Ministry of Health and national immunization and vaccine-preventable disease committees examined the country’s progress, challenges and priorities, including elimination strategies and surveillance.
“Our focus now shifts from recommendations to action,” Dr Tran told participants as the mission ended.
The week had begun with an unexpected reminder that circumstances can change quickly.
While the volcanic eruption disrupted travel, it did not stop the work. The road to measles elimination will bring challenges too, but countries across the Western Pacific are not facing them alone.
Collectively, the Region has decades of experience, knowledge and solutions to draw on. The task now is to put them into action.
For measles elimination, and for immunization more broadly, the Western Pacific does not need to start from scratch. It needs to finish what it started.
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Participants of meeting with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and national technical committees. © WHO
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Session with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and national technical committees. © WHO