Measles cases rise in Europe, EU to states: ‘Vaccinate’

Brussels – A measles alarm is underway in Europe. In 2023 alone, there were over 30 thousand new cases  on the European continent, including 2,361 in the territory of the European Union. According to the bulletin released today (Feb. 16) by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the hotspot is in Romania, with 1,755 cases, or 74.3 percent of the total. “The increasing trend of measles cases across Europe is concerning,” Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides acknowledged. “Measles cases are expected to continue increasing in the EU/EEA in the coming months due to sub-optimal vaccination coverage,” the ECDC warned.

At the root of a growing problem is the lack of protection — that no-vax movement that the European Parliament spoke out against even before the Coronavirus pandemic. The ECDC claims that more than three of four cases depend on that. In 2023, 75.7 percent of men and women affected by measles (1,786 out of 2,361) were not vaccinated. Especially true for children under one year of age (94.2 percent) and lower among adults aged 30 years and older (where 46.7 percent were unvaccinated and 36.2 percent had unknown vaccination status). An abstention from immunity practices that makes Kyriakides’ mouth twitch. Measles, he points out, is a disease that is “preventable through vaccination and that there are many safe and effective vaccines available in the EU.”

Even more direct is the ECDC director, Andrea Ammon: ” The increase in measles cases is a clear reminder that all member states should maximize efforts to achieve and maintain high vaccine coverage for all vaccine-preventable diseases.” A clear message that induces clarification, however, for the sake of the community. Because of the high transmissibility of the measles virus, to interrupt its transmission and thus its spread, “very high vaccination coverage with two doses of vaccine is required,” the ECDC said. A call for everyone, Italy included, mentioned along with Germany and the Netherlands for the highest number of cases among men and women aged 30 and older.