Europe Records Highest Measles Cases Since 1997
According to Bahrain News Agency, Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, stated that measles cases had sharply increased across Europe and Central Asia over the past two years, reflecting gaps in immunisation coverage. She emphasised the need for an urgent government response to protect children from the disease, including sustained investment in healthcare workers.
The report indicated that children under five accounted for more than 40% of reported cases in the Region, which includes 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia. More than half of the cases required hospitalisation, while 38 deaths were recorded, based on preliminary data as of March 6.
The report added that measles cases had been gradually declining since 1997, when 216,000 cases were reported, reaching their lowest level in 2016 at 4,440 cases, before rising significantly in 2018 and 2019, with 89,000 and 106,000 cases recorded respectively. It further noted that the measles outbreaks in 2023 and 2024 coincided with a decline in immunisation rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that many countries had yet to restore pre-pandemic coverage levels, increasing the risk of disease spread.
The report highlighted that the European Region accounted for one-third of global measles cases in 2024, with approximately 500,000 children across the Region missing the first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023. The report emphasised that measles is one of the most contagious viruses, capable of causing severe complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, and can be fatal in some cases. It added that measles remains a global threat, with approximately 359,521 cases reported worldwide in 2024.
WHO and UNICEF called on governments to intensify efforts in case detection, contact tracing, and emergency vaccination campaigns, as well as strengthen healthcare systems to close immunisation gaps, with a focus on reaching high-risk communities.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
H.E. Interior Minister sets sights on full national coverage
TDT | Manama Bahrain has moved a step closer to becoming a fully WHO-accredited 'Healthy Cities' nation after Muharraq and Northern Governorates received official recognition under the global programme. Interior Minister His Excellency General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received the accreditation certificates from Lieutenant-General H.E. Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Supreme Council of Health, and Health Minister H.E. Dr. Jalila bint Al Sayed Jawad Hassan during a meeting in Manama. He congratulated the governorates on what he described as a national achievement, citing the effort of local communities and officials in meeting WHO's comprehensive criteria. The Interior Minister directed the Southern Governorate to intensify its work to meet international standards, in a bid to declare all of Bahrain's governorates as officially recognised healthy zones. He stressed that the Healthy Cities Project is aligned with Bahrain's sustainable development goals and reflects its broader push for community-led health and wellbeing under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the guidance of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The Northern Governorate received its WHO accreditation following an evaluation visit in November 2024. Muharraq passed its assessment in February 2025.
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Most Americans Won't Get COVID-19 Booster This Fall, Survey Says
A majority of Americans said they will likely not receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine this fall, according to a poll released Friday. A survey from the health care organization KFF found that 59 percent of respondents said they either will not or likely will not receive the booster dose. Around 37 percent said they would 'definitely not' receive the shot, while 23 percent said they would 'probably not get' the shot. According to the poll, 21 percent said they will 'definitely' receive the booster, and 19 percent said they will 'probably get' one. The survey, meanwhile, indicated that 36 percent of Americans over the age of 65 said they 'definitely' will get the updated COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Around the same number of Democrats overall also said they would do so, according to the pollsters. This comes as the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has changed the COVID-19 vaccine policy since the Trump administration took over earlier this year. Last month, the HHS dismissed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory panel, ordered the removal of mercury from influenza vaccines, and ended the CDC's COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children. The KFF survey found that most Americans say they are confused about the changes to U.S. vaccine policy that have been made in the last six months or so. It also found that 33 percent of all adults surveyed are 'very' or 'somewhat' worried about whether COVID-19 vaccines will be available to them this fall. But most adults, or 67 percent, told KFF they are 'not too' or 'not at all' worried about that prospect, it found. On Thursday, the CDC released data showing that vaccination rates for several diseases, including measles, diphtheria, and polio, decreased among U.S. kindergartners in the 2024–2025 school year from the previous year. For the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, coverage went from 95.2 percent in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.7 percent last year, before landing at 92.5 percent in 2024–2025. In Texas, the epicenter of the recent outbreak, MMR coverage has fallen to 93.2 percent from 96.9 percent in 2019. The figures brought forth by the CDC did not include data for COVID-19 vaccines, but only included vaccines that are typically given during childhood. In addition, exemptions from one or more vaccines increased to 3.6 percent in 2024–2025 from 3.3 percent the year before, the CDC website said. Exemptions, which can be granted on medical or religious grounds, increased in 36 states and the District of Columbia, with 17 states reporting exemptions exceeding 5 percent, it said. And in a recent report, the CDC said that activity for COVID-19 was low nationwide. Respiratory illness activity, including RSV and influenza, was also described as 'very low' by the agency. 'Very high' levels of the virus were being reported in Texas, Hawaii, and Alaska, while 'high' levels are occurring in California, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and Kentucky, according to a map provided by the agency for the week ending July 26.
Daily Tribune
28-07-2025
- Daily Tribune
Gaza malnutrition reaching ‘alarming levels'
Malnutrition rates are reaching 'alarming levels' in the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization warned yesterday, saying the 'deliberate blocking' of aid was entirely preventable and had cost many lives. 'Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July,' the WHO said in a statement. Of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July - including 24 children under five, one child aged over five, and 38 adults, it added. 'Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting,' the UN health agency said. 'The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives.' Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, the WHO said, citing its Nutrition Cluster partners. It said the percentage of children aged six to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition had tripled in the city since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Palestinian territory. In Khan Yunis and middle Gaza, those rates have doubled in less than a month, it added. 'These figures are likely an underestimation due to the severe access and security constraints preventing many families from reaching health facilities,' the WHO said.
