Major surge in measles cases

More than 30,000 infections reported between January and October 2023 represent a significant increase compared to the 941 cases in 2022. These cases include 20,918 hospitalizations and five measles-related deaths.

One-fifth of the cases involve children between the ages of one and four. Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, stated, "This is a concerning situation." Authorities are calling for "urgent" measures to be taken to stop potentially fatal outbreaks.

A spokesperson from the WHO said, "The rise in cases has accelerated in recent months, and this trend is expected to continue if urgent measures are not taken across the region."

The cause of this increase is attributed to a "backslide" in vaccination coverage across all 53 European member states since 2020, as well as post-COVID travel and "cross-border transmission."
Although there is no treatment or cure for measles, safe and effective MMR vaccines (which protect against measles, mumps, and rubella) are available. "Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease," said Dr. Kluge. "Active vaccination efforts are necessary to stop transmission and prevent further spread. It is vital that all countries are prepared to quickly detect and respond in a timely manner to measles outbreaks that could jeopardize the goal of measles elimination," he added.

Experts say that vaccination coverage must reach 95% for immunity. However, reported first-dose measles-containing vaccine coverage in the region fell from 96% in 2019 to 93% in 2022, while second-dose coverage dropped from 92% in 2019 to 91% in 2022.

As a result of all this, more than 1.8 million infants missed their measles vaccinations between 2020 and 2022.

Alarmingly, measles cases have been reported in several countries that were previously declared to have "eliminated" the disease.

News Source: 12punto