The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that 4 more European countries have lost their Measles-free status in Europe. Albania, Greece, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom are no longer categorized as measles-free.
WHO Regional Director Zsuzsanna Jakab has said that a lot of effort to control this disease has brought us towards regional elimination of this highly contagious disease. She called on all countries to immediately implement broad, context-appropriate measures to stop further spread of the disease.
Many times, parents do not vaccinate their children and many others delay the vaccination. According to Mark Muscat, medical officer for vaccine-preventable diseases at WHO Europe, the reason for this can be attributed to misinformation about the MMR vaccine, leading to a hesitancy among parents. There are also issues of complacency among some parents and limited access to health facilities in others.
In early 2019, Europe has already recorded around 90,000 cases of measles. And this is a disease that can be easily prevented by the MMR vaccine.
Measles killed 72 children and adults in the European Region in 2018. According to monthly country reports for January to December 2018 (received as of 01 February 2019), 82, 596 people in 47 of 53 countries contracted measles. In countries reporting hospitalization data, nearly 2/3 (61%) of measles cases were hospitalized. The total number of people infected with the virus in 2018 was the highest this decade: 3 times the total reported in 2017 and 15 times the record low number of people affected in 2016. (Source)
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The Czech Republic and 3 more European Countries Lose Their Measles-free Status
