Measles cases were 30 times more numerous in 2023 than in 2022 in 40 countries in Europe and Central Asia

A rise that makes you dizzy. There were 30 times more cases of measles recorded in the Europe zone of the World Health Organization (WHO) between January and October 2023 than in 2022, the European branch of the agency alerted on Tuesday January 23.

“Between January and October 2023, more than 30 000 cases of measles have been reported by 40 of the 53 member states in the region”, which includes Russia and part of Central Asia, the UN body said. In 2022, 941 cases had been reported. Kazakhstan and Russia are the most affected countries, with more than 10,000 cases each. With 183 cases, the United Kingdom is the country in Western Europe where the resurgence of the disease, considered to be eliminated in 2021, is the most obvious.

Five deaths and 21 hospitalizations

“We have seen in the region not only a 30-fold increase in measles cases, but also almost 21 000 hospitalizations and five deaths linked to measles. It’s worrying”said WHO regional director Hans Kluge. “Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to stop transmission and prevent spread.”

The resurgence of this highly contagious viral disease, which can cause fatal complications and is spread through the air, is attributed to a drop in vaccination coverage during the Covid years. According to the WHO, which is calling for intensified campaigns to raise awareness among unvaccinated communities, more than 1.8 million infants in the region have not been vaccinated against measles between 2020 and 2022.