Measles cases increase almost tenfold in Europe. Disease can have serious consequences

 Measles cases increase almost tenfold in Europe. Disease can have serious consequences

According to the ECDC, children under one year old, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, “are paying the highest price”.

The decline in vaccination rates has led to an almost tenfold increase in the number of measles cases in Europe by 2024, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned on Friday.

The alert comes after 32,265 people were diagnosed with measles in 2024 in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA), a significant increase compared to 3,973 the previous year.

“Europe continues to experience recurrent measles outbreaks despite a highly safe, effective and affordable vaccine being included in all EU/EEA national immunisation programmes,” the European centre said in a statement.

This “sharp increase” in infections is driven by a vaccination uptake rate that is “consistently below ideal,” the European Union agency also highlighted, adding that almost 90% of people diagnosed with measles in 2024 were not vaccinated against the disease.According to the ECDC, children under one year old, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, “are paying the highest price”, given that the growth of unprotected population groups continues to contribute to the spread of the virus.

Measles can have serious consequences

After considering it essential that at least 95% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, the European Center for Disease Control recalled that measles activity tends to peak in winter and spring.

“With the Easter holidays approaching, which will increase international travel, urgent action is needed to prevent a similar number of infections in 2025,” the ECDC warned, reiterating that those who have not been vaccinated should take booster doses.Provisional data from 2023 indicate that only four European countries – Portugal, Hungary, Malta and Slovakia – have reached the coverage target for both doses of the vaccine.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily between people and can have serious consequences, including blindness, deafness and damage to the immune system.

It is an infection caused by a virus, characterized by recurring symptoms of fever, cough, conjunctivitis, runny nose and red spots on the skin.