Europe has a measles epidemic
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Europe has been affected by the measles epidemic . This is stated in a press release of the World Health Organization.
According to the report, during the first half of 2011, more than 26,000 measles cases were recorded in the region, nine deaths from infection were reported. Compared to the same period last year, the incidence increased by 276%.
The report emphasizes that the emerging complex epidemiological situation jeopardizes the implementation of the earlier measles elimination plan in the countries of the European region by 2015.
The WHO European Region includes countries of Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey, the States of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
According to the World Health Organization, measles outbreaks are recorded in 40 of the 53 countries in the European Region, with the actual number of cases significantly exceeding the statistics available to date due to delays in collecting and processing reports of new infections.
The greatest increase in the incidence of measles was observed in Western Europe, France being the leader, where from the beginning of 2011 there were more than 14 thousand cases of infection. Nevertheless, according to the World Health Organization, the geography of measles outbreaks indicates that the epidemic process spans the entire European region and spreads beyond it.
In view of the sharp increase in the incidence of measles, countries in the affected region are advised to strengthen measures to monitor measles outbreaks, continue previous vaccination programs to ensure immunization coverage to 95% of the population, strengthen immunization promotion activities, especially among teenagers and young people, and to introduce additional immunization programs aimed at hard-to-reach populations.
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