In the 1960s, Dr. Samuel Katz first introduced the measles vaccine to Africa in the Nigerian village Imesi-Ile. He observed the vaccine's safety and efficacy.

"The mothers told me that their saying was, 'Don't count your children until the measles has passed,' because of their awareness of its severity and frequency of deaths," recalled Dr. Katz, the Wilburt Cornell Davison Professor and Chairman Emeritus of Pediatrics at Duke University.

But today that is different, thanks to the efforts of doctors like Dr. Katz who pioneered the vaccine and a partnership of humanitarian organizations — including the Church — that is helping the vaccine reach children around the globe.

Since October 2003, the Church has participated with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the American Red Cross and Ministries of Health in an effort to decrease the incidence of measles worldwide.

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