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https://theconversation.com/europe-had-worst-measles-outbreak-since-1997-new-data-252327>
"Europe has had the highest number of measles cases since 1997, according to a
new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). There were 127,350 cases
in 2024 – about double the number from 2023.
“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” says Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO
regional director for Europe. “Without high vaccination rates, there is no
health security.” Last year, there were 38 deaths from measles.
Transmission is similar to COVID, with respiratory droplets and aerosols
(airborne transmission) spreading the virus between people. The infection
produces a rash and fever in mild cases, and encephalitis (brain swelling),
pneumonia and blindness in severe cases.
Hospitalisation and deaths are overwhelmingly in unvaccinated people, with
mortality rates in developed countries around one in 1,000 to one in 5,000
measles cases.
Each person infected with measles will, on average, spread the virus to between
12 and 18 other people. This is more infectious than COVID. For example,
someone with the omicron variant would spread the virus to around eight others.
In 2022 the WHO had described measles as an “imminent threat in every region of
the world”. The widespread impact of COVID made it harder for people to access
healthcare, reducing the ability of regular health services, like vaccinations,
to function properly.
These new stark figures from WHO Europe are an inevitable consequence of lower
vaccination rates. Measles is almost entirely vaccine-preventable, with two
doses providing greater than 99% protection against infection. The vaccine has
an excellent safety record, with severe harm being extremely rare.
The proportion of the population that needs to be vaccinated to keep local
transmission low and prevent outbreaks (so-called “herd immunity”) is around
95%.
WHO Europe highlighted some examples of where there are clear gaps in vaccine
coverage. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania,
fewer than 80% of eligible children were vaccinated in 2023, with rates below
50% for the past five or more years. Romania had the highest number of measles
cases in Europe in 2024 – an estimated 30,692 cases."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
