Measles highest for 25 years in the European region that says

The number of measles in the European region doubled last year to reach the highest level of 25 years, health officials say.

A joint report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said children under the age of five represent more than 40% of the cases reported in Europe and Central Asia.

“Measles are returning and this is a wake up,” said Hans Henry Klug, who regional director for Europe. “Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security.”

MMR vaccine – which immunizes people against measles, mumps and rubella – is 97% effective in combating the dangerous virus.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads from coughing and sneezing.

Common symptoms include:

• fever
• sore, red and watery eyes
• cough
• sneezing

The measles virus can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death.

The joint analysis of the WHO/UNICEF, covering 53 countries, said there were 127,350 cases of measles in the European region in 2024 – the highest since 1997.

A total of 38 deaths were reported until March 6, 2025.

The cases of measles, they added, decreased since 1997, but the trend was reversed in 2018-19 and the cases increased significantly in 2023-24 “After giving up the immunization coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“Vaccination odds in many countries are yet to return to the levels before the pandemic, increasing the risk of outbreaks,” they warned.

The European region is one -third of all cases of measles globally in 2024, according to joint analysis. In this area, Romania had the largest number of cases – 30 692 – followed by Kazakhstan with 28 147.

The WHO/UNICEF statement came to the conclusion that measles remain a “significant global threat” and calls on governments where cases occur to take quick action – and those in which the virus did not arrive to be ready to act.

There was Two deaths in the US recently As the disease – which is considered to be “eliminated” in the United States in 2000 – is also spread there in Canada.

The degree of falling vaccination has been accused of the recent outbreak.

For example, in Europe, eight out of 10 people who have been diagnosed with measles in the last year have not been vaccinated, according to data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

2023 forecasts show that only four countries – Hungary, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia – met a 95% threshold for vaccination to prevent outbreaks, ECDC said on Tuesday.

Concern is also expressed in the UKAbove the spread of the disease, as the degree of vaccination for two doses has fallen below 90%.

Dr. Ben Casstan-Dabush of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has warned people not to trust unverified information in their social media.

“We have also learned from the Covid-19 vaccination program that misinformation can travel quickly and can affect people’s decisions. It is important to keep in mind that social media vaccine information may not be based on scientific evidence,” said Dr. Casstan-Dabush.