Europe recorded 30 times more measles cases between January and October 2023 than in 2022, the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday, calling for increased vaccination efforts.
• Also read: The UK is facing a resurgence of measles
“Between January and October 2023, more than 30,000 cases of measles were reported by 40 of the 53 member states in the region,” which stretches into Central Asia, the UN body said in a press release. In 2022, 941 cases were reported.
For the whole of 2023, 42,200 cases were registered in 41 member countries, almost 45 times more than last year, according to figures published late Tuesday afternoon.
Kazakhstan and Russia are the most affected countries, with more than 10,000 cases each. With 183 cases, the United Kingdom is the country in Western Europe where the resurgence of the disease, which is considered eradicated in 2021, is most evident.
“We have not only observed a 30-fold increase in measles cases in the region, but also almost 21,000 hospitalizations and five measles-related deaths. This is worrying,” WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge is quoted as saying in the press release.
“Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to stop transmission and prevent spread.”
The resurgence of this highly contagious viral disease, which can cause fatal complications and is spread through the air, has been attributed to a decline in vaccination rates during the Covid years.
“The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the performance of the vaccination system during this period, leading to a build-up of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children,” the organization added.
According to the WHO, which calls for increased campaigns to raise awareness among unvaccinated communities, more than 1.8 million infants in the region were not vaccinated against measles between 2020 and 2022.
The disease, which manifests itself as a rash preceded by a runny nose, conjunctivitis and cough, accompanied by a very high fever and great fatigue, can affect all age groups.
However, in 2023, two out of five cases were registered in children between the ages of one and four and only one in five in those over 20.
Goal: 95% vaccination rate
At the local level, at least 95% of children must be vaccinated to prevent possible outbreaks during the introduction of the virus. By 2022, only 92% of European children had received a second dose of vaccine.
In the United Kingdom, vaccination rates are falling to 81% in certain parts of the country, around Birmingham, British health officials said Friday.
The WHO estimates that measles vaccination prevented 56 million deaths between 2000 and 2021.
In 2021, the number of deaths from the disease worldwide is estimated at 128,000, mostly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under five.
By 2022, 83% of children worldwide had received a dose of measles vaccine before their first birthday, the lowest rate since 2008, the United Nations said.