• Measles cases in Europe have doubled in just a year, with the highest number reported since 1997.

• A total of 127,350 cases were reported in the region in 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997, according to analysis by WHO and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

• There were an estimated 107,500 measles deaths globally in 2023, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under five, according to WHO.

• Current outbreaks and deaths have been reported worldwide, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States and countries in every other region.

• Based on preliminary data received as of March 6, a total of 38 deaths have been reported for WHO’s European region, which comprises 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

• The region accounted for one third of all measles cases globally in 2024.

Outbreak hot spots

• The latest analysis found that Romania reported the highest number of cases – 30,692 – in the region for 2024, followed by 28,147 in Kazakhstan.

• At the same time, less than 80 per cent of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania were vaccinated with the first dose of the measles vaccine (MCV1) in 2023.

• In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, the coverage rate for  MCV1 has remained below 70 per cent and 50 per cent respectively for the past five or more years.

• That is far below the 95 per cent coverage rate required to retain herd immunity.

• Following a backsliding in immunisation coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024, the UN agencies said, adding that vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks.

One of the most contagious diseases

• Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases. 

• Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body. Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.

• It is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions.

• Measles can damage the immune system by “erasing” its memory of how to fight infections, leaving survivors vulnerable to other diseases.

• Symptoms of measles usually begin 10–14 days after exposure to the virus. A prominent rash is the most visible symptom. The rash begins about 7–18 days after exposure, usually on the face and upper neck. It spreads over about three days, eventually to the hands and feet. It usually lasts five–six days before fading.

• Even when people survive measles, serious health effects can occur, some of which are lifelong. Infants and young children are at greatest risk of serious complications from the disease, which include blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis (an infection causing brain swelling and potentially brain damage).

• Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every 2–3 years and measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

• Measles outbreaks can result in epidemics that cause many deaths, especially among young, malnourished children. In countries where measles has been largely eliminated, cases imported from other countries remain an important source of infection.

• Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications including swelling of the brain and dehydration. 

• Serious complications are most serious in children under five and adults over 30.

• There is no specific treatment for measles, but the two-dose vaccine against it is about 97 per cent effective in preventing severe illness and death.

• Measles vaccination averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023.

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