LONDON — Reports reveal that in 2024, Europe and Central Asia witnessed a staggering 127,350 cases of measles, a number that has doubled compared to the previous year and is the most significant since 1997. This alarming data comes from an analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
According to Thursday’s published report, the highest measles incidence was detected in Romania, with over 30,000 cases, followed closely by Kazakhstan, where 28,147 infections were documented. Alarmingly, about 40% of these cases in Europe and Central Asia occurred in children under the age of five, and more than half of those affected by measles required hospitalization. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases globally, spread via an airborne virus.
Administering two doses of the measles vaccine is believed to be 97% effective in warding off the disease, which targets the respiratory system and can cause symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, and rash. Severe cases may lead to pneumonia, encephalitis, dehydration, and even blindness.
Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s Europe director, emphasized the critical nature of the situation by stating, “Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security.”
In the context of immunization rates, WHO and UNICEF highlighted that in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, less than 70% and 50% of children respectively have received the measles vaccine over the past five years. To prevent outbreaks, the scientific consensus is that more than 95% of the population needs to be immunized.
The surge in measles cases in 2023 and 2024 follows a decline in vaccination coverage during the coronavirus pandemic, with rates in many countries yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Overall, Europe accounted for a third of the global measles cases, which numbered around 359,521 last year.
Persisting concerns about the measles vaccine’s safety trace back decades when a paper published in 1998 erroneously linked the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism—an association that has been thoroughly discredited. The physician behind that study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, had his medical license revoked.
Last month, British health authorities reported over 200 measles cases, indicating that more are likely. Ben Kaastan-Dabush, an assistant professor in global health, advises, “It’s never too late to get vaccinated,” cautioning that misinformation about vaccines can spread quickly. “Even a small decline in vaccine uptake can have devastating consequences.”
In the United States, measles outbreaks have been ongoing in Texas and New Mexico, with total cases reaching 250, including two fatalities among unvaccinated individuals.
