The World Health Organization has raised the alarm about measles and the urgent need to vaccinate as reports show that cases of measles have spiked 30-fold in just one-year across the European Region.
The European Region, according to the United Nation’s organization, posted 30,000 cases of measles between January and October 2023, up from 941 cases in 2022.
Speaking on the matter, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge says, “Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease. Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to halt transmission and prevent further spread. It is vital that all countries are prepared to rapidly detect and timely respond to measles outbreaks, which could endanger progress towards measles elimination.”
The European Region of the WHO is a geographical region that also includes Russia and is comprised of 53 countries, 40 of which have had cases of measles the past year.
The president of the Association of Hospital Doctors of Athens- Piraeus (EINAP) Matina Pagoni commented to MegaTV on the many viruses going around and the reappearance of measles.
“Coronavirus is in remission, viruses continue, the flu continues. This will go until the end of February, according to the figures. The point is that caution is needed, older adults with underlying medical conditions should be vaccinated against the coronavirus. And children have to be given instructions because their infections continue,” she said.
Measles is a viral infection that can be vaccinated against through administration of the two-dose MMR vaccine. “During this time, many parents took only one dose and thus the protection was not covered. Then it spread. The children now have to go and be vaccinated with instructions from pediatricians. Measles is not so much of a concern, but the complications of measles are meningitis, encephalitis and pneumonia.”
