MEASLES SURGE: Cases of deadly virus rocket to highest level in 25 years - is your area a hotspot?
Europe was today rocked by fresh measles fears after cases soared to the highest level in over 25 years.
Global health leaders said rates on the continent had doubled in the last year alone, with low uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine threatening to further the spread.
More than 127,350 cases were reported by member states in 2024. By comparison the figure stood at just 4,400 in 2016.
The World Health Organisation said cases had 'risen significantly' since the pandemic and urged parents to make sure children were fully vaccinated.
In a plea to Government's across the continent, the UN health agency warned the figures were a 'wake-up call' and called on 'every country to step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities'.
Two doses offer up to 99 per cent protection against measles, mumps and rubella, which can lead to meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.
It comes as the US recorded two deaths from measles in the last month alone — both were unvaccinated. They are the first fatalities from the disease in the nation since 2015.
Earlier this year, British health chiefs also sounded the alarm over a spike in cases and encouraged parents to take millions of children for their MMR vaccine.
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles. A few days later, some people develop small white spots on the inside of their cheeks and the back of their lips
Dr Hans Henri Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, today said: 'Measles is back, and it's a wake-up call.
'Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security.
'As we shape our new regional health strategy for Europe and Central Asia, we cannot afford to lose ground.
'Every country must step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities. The measles virus never rests — and neither can we.'
Meanwhile, Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia, added: 'Measles cases across Europe and Central Asia have soared over the past two years – pointing to gaps in immunization coverage.
'To protect children from this deadly and debilitating disease, we need urgent government action including sustained investment in health care workers.'
According to the WHO, children under five accounted for more than 40 per cent of the 127,350 cases reported last year in the region.
More than half of all cases also required hospitalisation, with 38 deaths recorded.
In England, 89.3 per cent of two-year-olds received their first dose of the MMR vaccine in the year to March 2023 (blue line), up from 89.2 per cent the previous year. Meanwhile, 88.7 per cent of two-year-olds had both doses, down from 89 per cent a year earlier
Romania reported the highest number of cases in 2024, at 30,692. This was followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147.
But less than 80 per cent of eligible children in Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia had their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023 — the latest data available — the WHO warned.
At least 95 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks, under public health guidance.
By comparison, the figure stood at just under 90 per cent among children in the UK.
Last month, however, British health officials also sounded the alarm over a spike in cases.
Nationwide, latest figures suggested there had been almost 100 confirmed cases in January, bringing the total annual figure to almost 3,000.
Almost half of these cases were in London, with 19 per cent in the West Midlands and 9 per cent in the East of England.
The figures were initially driven by an outbreak in Birmingham in early 2024 but was soon overtaken by a large outbreak in London, with small clusters in other regions.
At least 95 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks, under public health guidance
British experts today begged parents to check their child's immunisation status, warning the rise of anti-vaxx beliefs in the wake of Covid may have fueled the crisis.
Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, an assistant professor in global health and development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'Vaccination programmes in the UK and globally have been so successful that it can be easy to forget why we still need them and many people may not have a memory of the consequences of infections like measles.
'Measles is extremely infectious. Before routine vaccination began, England and Wales saw large outbreaks with peaks of 600,000 cases in some years.
'It's never too late to get vaccinated. If you have questions, don't know whether you've already had a vaccine or want to find out where to get a vaccine, the best advice is to talk to your GP.'
He added: 'We also learnt from the Covid vaccination programme that misinformation can travel rapidly and can influence people's decisions.
'It's important to be mindful that the vaccine information on social media may not be based on scientific evidence and could put you or your child at risk of a serious illness, so my advice would be to always check with credible sources like the NHS website.
'There has been a trend of declining routine childhood immunisation coverage, across all vaccines offered to parents, over the past decade.
'The causes are complex and involve a mix of issues, and importantly, has been taking place amidst an unforgiving cost of living crisis and generational decline in living standards that affects families.'
Latest NHS Digital shows that up to three in ten children in parts of England haven't had both MMR jabs by the time they turn five.
Measles, which mostly produces flu like symptoms and a rash, can cause very serious and even fatal health complications if it spreads to the lungs or the brain.
One in five children who catch measles will need to go to hospital, with one in 15 developing serious complications like meningitis or sepsis.
Uptake of the MMR jab collapsed in the wake of study by the now discredited medic Andrew Wakefield which falsely linked the jabs to autism.
MMR uptake in England was about 91 per cent prior to Wakefield's study being published but plummeted to 80 per cent in the aftermath.
