In 2016, measles cases in Europe dropped to a record low of 4,400 cases due to the successful and widespread use of the measles vaccine in the vaccine schedules of the various countries of the region. However, since 2017 measles cases and deaths from the disease have risen significantly due to a combination of war, vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine activism which have disrupted vaccination rates.[1][2]
Increase in measles cases from 2017 to 2019
Despite a record low case count of 4,400 in Europe in 2016, the Russo-Ukrainian war interfered with measles vaccination rates in Ukraine, where only 42% of infants were able to be vaccinated for that year. As a result, cases of measles soared to 54,000 being reported in that country in 2018. This represented 65% of the measles cases across Europe, where countries such as Greece saw a doubling in the incidence of measles and France recorded a six-fold increase.[2]
In 2019, cases in Ukraine had a further increase to 57,000.[3]
Increase in measles cases from 2022
In 2020 and 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant implementation of worldwide quarantine and control measures saw a massive drop in cases. This period also saw an increase in measles vaccination rates in Ukraine to 80%. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 again significantly disrupted vaccination schedules in Ukraine.[3]
Combined with the pandemic causing a decrease in vaccination rates in other countries across Europe, as well as a rise in vaccine hesitancy and the spread of anti-vaccine disinformation, 2024 saw a significant increase in measles cases in Europe with 127,350 being reported. This was the highest caseload in the region since 1997, representing a third of global measles cases.[1]
The major centre of the resurgent outbreak appeared to have spread from Ukraine to the neighbouring country of Romania where 30,692 cases were reported in 2024, as well as to Kazakhstan which had 28,147 documented cases. Low vaccination rates were also reported in Bosnia-Herzegovina and North Macedonia.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "European Region reports highest number of measles cases in more than 25 years – UNICEF, WHO/Europe". unicef.org. UNICEF. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ^ a b Wadman, Meredith (15 February 2019). "Measles epidemic in Ukraine drove troubling European year". Science. 363 (6428): 677–678. Bibcode:2019Sci...363..677W. doi:10.1126/science.363.6428.677. PMID 30765543. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ^ a b Orsini, Davide; Martini, Mariano (2023). "Diseases Measles: a new danger for Ukraine's children! The need for an effective and timely vaccination prevention campaign for an insidious disease that comes from afar". Journal of Preventative Medicine and Hygiene. 64 (2): 204–208. doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2023.64.2.2996. PMC 10468189. PMID 37654850. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
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