(LONDON) — Europe saw the highest number of measles cases last year in more than 25 years, according to a new report published Thursday from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
There were an estimated 127,350 measles cases in the European region last year, which is double the number of cases for 2023 and the highest number since 1997. The region consists of 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia.
Children under 5 years old accounted for more than 40% of cases in the region, and more than half of the cases required hospitalization, according to the report. Additionally, a total of 38 deaths were reported based on preliminary numbers.
The European region accounted for one-third of all measles cases globally last year, with 500,000 people missing their first dose of the measles vaccine.
“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security,” Dr. Hans P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said in a press release. “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.”
It comes as global vaccination rates for measles have been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a higher number of cases and outbreaks worldwide.
A WHO report published last year found a 20% increase in measles cases between 2022 and 2023 — infecting a total of 10.3 million people globally in the latter year.
More than 22 million children missed their routine measles vaccine in 2023. Only 83% of children received their first measles dose that year, and only 74% received their second dose.
A threshold of 95% vaccination coverage is needed to prevent outbreaks from occurring, according to the WHO.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is dealing with its worst measles outbreak since 2019. More than 250 cases have been reported in an outbreak in Texas and New Mexico, which is close to the 285 total measles cases reported in the entirety of last year nationwide.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, health officials said.
Two likely measles deaths have been reported so far in the U.S. One is a confirmed death associated with measles, while the other occurred in a New Mexico resident who tested positive for measles after dying and the cause of death remains under investigation.
The death in Texas of an unvaccinated school-aged child was the first measles death recorded in the U.S. in a decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Similarly to global rates, CDC data showed U.S. vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
During the 2023–24 school year, just. 92.7% of kindergartners met vaccination requirements for the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, according to an October 2024 CDC report. The report also found that exemptions from school vaccination requirements increased to 3.3% from 3% the year before.
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