The World Health Organization thought 2016 was a record year with 5,273 cases measles registered in the European region. But the WHO was not at the end of its concerns because new data published by the European office on the occasion of a ministerial meeting on vaccination, indicates that the measles virus has affected 21,315 people and caused 35 death in 2017 in Europe. That is a 400% increase in cases in one year.
“A tragedy that we cannot accept”
“Every new person affected by measles in Europe reminds us that unvaccinated children and adults, no matter where they live, are at risk of contracting the disease and spreading it to others who may not be vaccinated. More than 20,000 cases of measles and 35 lives lost in 2017, it’s a tragedy that we just can’t accept.” said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
520 cases in France
In 2017, 15 of the 53 countries in the European region experienced a “surge” of the epidemic, amounting to 100 or more cases. The three most affected countries were:
• Romania (5562 cases)
• Italy (5006 cases)
• Ukraine (4767 cases).
Since then, the measles vaccine has become mandatory in Italy for all children entering school.
Greece (967 cases), Germany (927 cases), Serbia (702 cases), Tajikistan (649 cases), France (520 cases), the Russian Federation (408 cases), Belgium (369 cases), the United Kingdom (282 cases), Bulgaria (167 cases), Spain (152 cases), Czechia (146 cases) and Switzerland (105 cases) also experienced large outbreaks of measles.
“Outbreaks will continue to occur until all vulnerable children and adults are protected” WHO insists. Health Ministers from 11 countries are meeting today to discuss how to achieve the targets set in the European Action Plan for Vaccines (EVAP) by 2020.
“This short-term failure cannot stop us from committing to be the generation that frees our children from these diseases once and for all” insists Dr. Jakab.
Read also :
The measles epidemic spreads in France
Measles and hepatitis B: children are not vaccinated enough
