As more parents are opting out of having their children immunised against measles, outbreaks of the highly contagious disease are on the rise in many European countries.
According to The World Health Organisation (WHO) more than 500 cases were reported across Europe in January, with preliminary figures for February indicating that the number of new infections is rising sharply.
This is what Zsuzsanna Jakab, the agency’s regional director for Europe, had to say:
“With steady progress towards elimination over the past two years, it is of particular concern that measles cases are climbing in Europe,” Jakab, said in a statement.
“Today’s travel patterns put no person or country beyond the reach of the measles virus.”
The respiratory disease, characterised by high fever and small red spots, is spread by coughing and sneezing and remains one of leading causes of death among young children globally.
And even if the symptoms triggered are fairly mild, severe complications can occur, among them miscarriage in pregnant women, brain swelling or the risk of death by pneumonia.
In Europe, the countries that are as of yet the worst affected are France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine, accounting for 474 of the 559 cases reported for January.
These countries have one thing in common: The national vaccination levels against the virus are below the 95% threshold considered necessary for protecting the entire population.
In Italy, the numbers of measles cases have tripled this year, largely because parents are not getting children vaccinated because of fears of a link between the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination shot and autism, the health ministry said last week.
This despite that several studies have proven that no such link exists.
“I urge all endemic countries to take urgent measures to stop transmission of measles within their borders, and all countries that have already achieved this to keep up their guard and sustain high immunisation coverage,” the WHO said.
“Outbreaks will continue in Europe, as elsewhere, until every country reaches the level of immunisation needed to fully protect their populations.”
