Measles cases are at a 25 year high in Europe, while North America and Afghanistan are also dealing with major outbreaks and children dying from the preventable disease.
Over 127 000 cases were reported across the World Health Organization (WHO) European region last year, the highest number since 1997 (216 000), according to a joint analysis by Unicef and WHO. Measles cases reached a low of 4440 in 2016 but have been on the rise since.1
More than half of measles cases reported required hospital admission, and a total of 38 deaths have been recorded. Children aged under 5 accounted for more than 40% of all cases. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said, “Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security. Every country must step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities. The measles virus …
Afghanistan I can understand. America, the home of the antivaxx idiots, too. But Europe? There is a small community of antivaxxers here, who took this crazy idea from the US antivaxxers, but with far, far less idiots than the US has. Faith-based exceptions to mandatory vaccinations are not a thing in Europe, which massively curbs this idiocity from spreading. While this does not prevent minor outbreaks, this is much smaller of a problem than in the US.
Far right groups and constant Russian lies about vaccines have made plenty of Europeans antivaxers, sadly.
31,000 cases occured in Romania alone in 2024.