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The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published its monthly report on the impact of measles and rubella in Europe, revealing worrying figures on the prevalence of these highly contagious diseases.
The data cover the period from November 2023 to October 2024, and highlight the need to step up immunisation measures in several countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA).
Measles: a persistent threat
During October 2024, 27 countries reported data to ECDC, with a total of 181 cases reported in 13 countries. Romania topped the list with 78 cases, followed by Italy (35), Ireland (22) and France (19). The report highlights that the overall figure represents a decrease compared to the previous month, although ECDC warns that this could be due to delays in reporting.
In the analysis of the annual period (November 2023 – October 2024), 18,044 measles cases were recorded in the region, with Romania accounting for 76.6% of total cases. This country also reported the highest notification rate: 725.1 cases per million inhabitants. Likewise, vulnerable groups were identified, such as children under five years of age, who constitute 44.2% of cases, and infants under one year of age, with an alarming incidence rate of 579.3 cases per million.
Vaccination coverage remains insufficient in many countries in the region. 87.21% of reported cases were unvaccinated, highlighting the importance of achieving 95.1% immunization coverage to prevent outbreaks.
Rubella: low but stagnant levels
As for rubella, the ECDC report shows lower figures compared to measles. In October 2024, only two countries, Bulgaria and Poland, reported cases, with a total of seven. During the annual analysis period, 288 cases were recorded, of which Poland accounted for 87.8%.
Unlike measles, no rubella-related deaths have been reported in the past year. However, ECDC warns that maintaining adequate vaccination coverage is crucial to prevent serious complications such as congenital rubella syndrome.
Vaccination as the key to elimination
The report highlights that the elimination of measles and rubella in Europe depends on sustained immunisation and closing coverage gaps in adolescents and adults. In 2023, only three countries (Hungary, Malta and Portugal) have achieved the recommended 95% coverage for two doses of measles vaccine, and 15 have achieved this target for rubella.
