The Measles Initiative follows the strategy recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF regarding vaccinations.

ROUTINE VACCINATION

The Measles Initiative supports routine immunization (sometimes called keep-up vaccinations) which is the routine system or regular process of a country to vaccinate all children against measles. Mothers and caretakers can take their children for vaccination at health clinics, hospitals, etc. at the recommended ages similar to the vaccination system in the U.S.

SUPPLEMENTAL VACCINATION

Catch-up campaign
Catch-up campaigns are one-time events targeting all at-risk children in a particular age group. The goal is to 'catch-up' all children who may not have been previously vaccinated for the first time against measles. During a catch-up campaign all children in the targeted age group receive a supplementary dose of measles vaccine, regardless of prior disease or vaccination history.

Follow-up campaign

Follow-up campaigns are conducted periodically (eg. every 3-5 years) to maintain low levels of susceptibility. A follow-up campaign gives children a second opportunity for the measles vaccine and aims to reach all children aged over nine months who were born after the previous catch-up campaign.

Mop-up campaign
Mop-up campaigns are conducted to identify and vaccinate children who have missed routine vaccination and previous mass campaigns. These campaigns take place soon after catch-up or follow-up campaigns in areas known or thought to have many remaining susceptible children (where campaign coverage is lower than 95%). All children in the target age range are vaccinated, regardless of prior disease or vaccination history.