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Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
In Europe, the number of measles cases increased sharply in 2023, with 58,114 cases reported. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this number was nearly 62 times higher than in 2022. The WHO called for immediate vaccination to stop the spread of the disease.
From January to October 2023, nearly 21,000 people were hospitalized and five died from the disease.
Measles is caused by a virus. It spreads easily when people breathe, cough or sneeze. It is most common in children, but anyone can get it. Symptoms often include a rash, runny nose, cough, and watery eyes (see diagram).
This disease can be prevented by vaccination. Measles vaccination consists of two doses, usually the first at 9 months of age and the second at 15 to 18 months.
To prevent an outbreak, at least 95 percent of a community’s children must be fully vaccinated against the disease. In the WHO European Region, approximately 1.8 million infants were not vaccinated against measles between 2020 and 2022.
Measles vaccination rates are also declining around the world. One reason is the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. In 2022, 83% of children under 1 year of age received a measles vaccine for the first time, compared to 86% before the pandemic.
In 2021, approximately 128,000 measles deaths occurred worldwide. These deaths were primarily in under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children under 5 years of age.
The WHO says measles vaccines helped prevent 56 million deaths from 2000 to 2021.
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