A total of 127,350 measles cases They were notified in Europe and Central Asia during the past year, which is twice as much as in 2023 and The highest figure since 1997according to an analysis of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released this Friday.
Children under five accounted for more than 40% of cases notified in the region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia.
More than half of the reported cases required hospitalization and were notified 38 deathsaccording to the preliminary data received until March 6.
In general, measles cases in that region decreased since 1997, when they were notified near 216,000. The minimum came in 2016 with 4,440 people infected.
However, there was a resurgence in 2018 and 2019, with 89,000 and 106,000 notified casesrespectively.
After a setback in immunization coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic, the cases increased significantly in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries have not yet returned to the levels prior to the pandemic, which Increase the risk of shootsaccording to WHO and UNICEF.
«Measles has returned and is a call of attention. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health safety. As we shape our new regional health strategy for Europe and Central Asia, we cannot allow ourselves to lose ground. All countries must redouble their efforts to reach insufficiently vaccinated communities », according to Hans Henri P. KlugWHO regional director for Europe, who added: “The measles virus never rests and we don’t.”
A third of the world total
The region of Europe and Central Asia last year represented a third of all world measles. Only in 2023, around 500,000 children in that geographical area did not receive the first dose of the measles vaccine (MCV1), which should be administered through systematic immunization services.
“Measles cases in Europe and Central Asia have shot themselves in the last two years, which shows the deficiencies in immunization coverage,” said Regina de Dominicis, regional director of UNICEF for Europe and Central Asia, who added: “To protect children from this deadly and weakening disease, we need the government to take urgent measures, including a supported investment in health workers.”
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses that affect people. In addition to hospitalization and death caused by complications such as Pneumonia, encephalitis, diarrhea and dehydrationit can cause long -term weakening health complications, such as blindness.
You can also damage the immune system by ‘erase’ your memory of how to combat infections, leaving the survivors of measles vulnerable to other diseases. Vaccination is the best line of defense against virus, according to the WHO and UNICEF.
Less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia del Norte and Romania were vaccinated with MCV1 in 2023, well below the coverage rate of 95% required to maintain collective immunity.
Both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Montenegro, the MCV1 coverage rate has remained below 70% and 50%, respectively, during the last five years or more.
Romania notified the largest number of cases in the region in 2024, with 30,692 infected people, followed by Kazakhstan, with 28,147.
“Important World Threat”
On the other hand, WHO and UNICEF pointed out that “measles remains an important world threat.” In 2024, they were notified 359,521 cases worldwide. The transmission of the virus through borders and continents occurs regularly and the outbreaks of this highly infectious disease will occur wherever the virus find bags of non -vaccinated or insufficiently vaccinated people, in particular children.
UNICEF and WHO urged governments with active outbreaks to urgently intensify cases detection and contact tracking, and emergency vaccination campaigns.
«It is imperative that countries analyze the fundamental causes of outbreaks, address the weaknesses of their health systems and strategically use the Epidemiological data to identify and close the coverage gaps. To reach undecided parents and marginalized communities and address unequal access to vaccines must be fundamental for all efforts, ”they stressed.
In addition, they indicated that “countries that do not have current measles outbreaks must be prepared, among other things identifying and addressing the gaps in immunity, promoting and maintaining public confidence in vaccines and maintaining solid health systems.”
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