- Number of cases soared in 2023 with the total number at 58,114; jabs against the disease fell during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Symptoms of the illness include high fever, cough and runny nose and appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus
The WHO has issued a measles warning as cases in Europe spike. Photo: Shutterstock Measles cases soared in Europe in 2023 to 58,114, a nearly 62-fold increase over the previous year, the World Health Organization said last month, calling for urgent vaccination efforts to halt the spread.
Some 41 countries out of 53 the UN’s health agency includes in its Europe region reported the infectious disease, WHO said. In 2022, 941 cases were registered.
Vaccination rates against the disease slipped during the Covid-19 pandemic, and “urgent vaccination efforts are needed to halt transmission and prevent further spread”.
Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan fared the worst, with well over 10,000 cases each last year. In western Europe, Britain had the most cases, with 231.
The WHO also said there were nearly 21,000 hospitalisations and five measles-related deaths in the January to October period.
“This is concerning,” WHO said.
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Some 1.8 million infants in the WHO’s Europe region were not vaccinated against measles between 2020 and 2022. “It is vital that all countries are prepared to rapidly detect and timely respond to measles outbreaks, which could endanger progress towards measles elimination.”
It is most common in children but can affect anyone. Symptoms often include a rash, runny nose, cough and watery eyes. Complications can be severe.
Measles is caused by a virus and spreads easily when people breathe, cough or sneeze.
Measles vaccinations consist of two shots, usually one at nine months of age and the second at 15 to 18 months. The vaccine is often given along with one for mumps and rubella, known as MMR.
At least 95 per cent of children need to be fully vaccinated against the disease in a locality to prevent outbreaks.
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Vaccination rates against measles have been dropping across the globe.
In 2022, 83 per cent of children received a first measles vaccine during their first year of life, up from 81 per cent coverage in 2021, but down from 86 per cent before the pandemic and the lowest level since 2008, WHO has said previously.
In 2022, only 92 per cent of children in Europe received a second dose of the vaccine, according to WHO.
In Britain, in some areas around the major city of Birmingham, the level of full vaccination has dropped to 81 per cent. In 2021, there were an estimated 128,000 measles deaths worldwide, mostly among undervaccinated or unvaccinated children under five, it said.
WHO estimates that measles vaccines have helped prevent 56 million deaths between 2000 and 2021.
Agence France-Presse
How do measles spread?
The measles virus lives in an infected person’s nose and throat mucus. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. The virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours.
If someone breathes the contaminated air or comes in contact with the infected surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, they can become infected, too.
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases. If one person has it, up to 90 per cent of the people close to that person who are not immune can also become infected. However, animals do not get or spread the disease.