Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of measles in Jiangsu Province during 1950-2010 and provide evidence for strategies and measures of measles elimination. Methods: Measles epidemiology and control measures were analyzed with descriptive epidemiology. Results: Following the EPI activities,the reported incidence of measles decreased greatly during the past 50 years in Jiangsu Province,sustaining at a lower level of 3/100 000 from 1998 to 2004. However,in 2005 through 2009,a dramatic increase in measles cases occurred,and the average annual incidence was 7.7/100 000 during this period. In addition to the increased number of cases,two changes in age and region distributions of cases occurred. During the resurgence,22.69% and 32.71% of all reported cases were in children < 1 year and 20-to-39-year-old adults. The region of high incidence was transmitted from the north to south in Jiangsu. Genotype H1 is the major genotype,and H1a becomes the predominant sub-genotype of indigenous measles viruses circulated in Jiangsu. Measles vaccine(MV) supplementary immunization activities(SIAs) were implemented from 2007 to 2010 and the targeted age groups were children who were more than seven months and less than 15 years old. The incidence of measles declined rapidly and it was 0.95/100 000 in 2010. Conclusion: MV SIAs is an additional and effective support for routine immunization,and it played an important role for measles control. The timeliness and coverage of childhood vaccinations must be improved,and innovative strategies will be required to improve measles immunity among adults. A school entry requirement of two doses of MV should be strengthened in order to attain extremely high coverage. It is necessary to develop the further measles surveillance and measles virus laboratory net-works to monitor the progress and guide actions to achieve measles elimination.