Measles cases in Europe doubled in 2024 to highest in more than 25 years, WHO says

A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is shown at the Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas on Feb. 26, 2025. (Mary Conlon / AP Photo)

BERLIN - Measles cases in the European region doubled in 2024 to a more than 25-year-high, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF said on Thursday, as they urged action to boost vaccination levels that declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children under five accounted for more than 40 per cent of the 127,350 cases reported last year in the region, which comprises 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, the WHO said in a statement.

“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said.

“Following a backsliding in immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels,” WHO added.

Over recent months, the spotlight has been on measles also in the United States. An outbreak in Texas and New Mexico, which has caused the first U.S. measles deaths in a decade, this week expanded by 28 to 256 infections.

According to WHO, measles is one of the most contagious viruses for humans. Infections can cause complications including pneumonia, encephalitis and dehydration and also damage the immune system’s defensive memory against various pathogens.

WHO said on Thursday that less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania had their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023 - far below the 95 per cent coverage rate required to prevent an outbreak.

Romania reported the highest number of cases in the European region in 2024, with 30,692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147 cases, it added.

(Reporting Ludwig Burger and Rachel More, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)