The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published an updated report on measles cases in the European Union and the European Economic Area and presented its key figures in a press release. According to the document, the number of cases has increased more than 13-fold in a year. During the COVID pandemic, measles cases in the region were at an abnormally low level, but in 2023 they began to grow and reached 2,361 confirmed cases. From February 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025, 32,265 cases were registered in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
45.1 percent of cases are children under five, while 27.0 percent are over 15 years old. 86.5 percent have not been vaccinated against the infection. The largest number of measles cases - more than 27.5 thousand - was registered in Romania, followed by Italy, Germany, Belgium and Austria. This year, 19 people died from measles, including 18 in Romania and one in Ireland. The target vaccination coverage of 95 percent of the population without contraindications was observed in only four countries: Hungary, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia.