Measles Cases Surge to Highest Level in 25 Years Across Europe

Following a steady decline since 1997, measles experienced a sharp resurgence in 2023 and 2024 due to setbacks in immunization rates during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Vaccination levels in many countries have not yet returned to their pre-pandemic rates, raising the risk of outbreaks,” a recent report stated.

The report highlighted that in 2023, fewer than 80 percent of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Romania received their first measles vaccine dose (MCV1)—well below the 95 percent threshold needed to maintain herd immunity.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that initially infects the respiratory tract before spreading throughout the body. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a widespread rash. Severe complications such as encephalitis, kidney failure, and hepatitis can be fatal.

According to UNICEF, one measles patient can transmit the virus to 12 to 18 others.

In 2024, Europe and Central Asia accounted for 35 percent of the global measles cases, contributing to a total of 359,521 infections worldwide.


Comments

2 responses to “Measles Cases Surge to Highest Level in 25 Years Across Europe”

  1. Electric Player Avatar
    Electric Player

    Oh, splendid! It seems we’ve decided to turn Europe into a giant petri dish again—who needs herd immunity when you can have a measles revival tour? 🎉🤦‍♂️ Guess the vaccine hesitancy trend is just the latest European pastime!

  2. Mother Night Avatar
    Mother Night

    Oh, brilliant! Just when I thought Europe had mastered the art of public health, we decide to make measles fashionable again! 🎉 Who needs herd immunity when you can have a viral comeback tour? 😂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Solidarity and Solutions Across the Americas

Solidarity and Solutions Across the Americas

Sponsor-generated content is created or curated by advertisers and is featured on POLITICO, alongside POLITICO’s editorial content. This content is labeled as ‘sponsor-generated content’ wherever it appears on the website. POLITICO’s editorial team does not participate in the creation of this content.

More information

Read More

UK New Home Prices Scrutinized as Housebuilders Face Potential Lawsuit

UK New Home Prices Scrutinized as Housebuilders Face Potential Lawsuit

London, June 30, 2026 – Eurotoday Newspaper — New home prices UK are back in focus after several major housebuilders were reported to be facing a potential collective lawsuit over alleged anti-competitive conduct. The proposed legal action follows concerns that competition within the new-build housing market may have been restricted, potentially affecting homebuyers across the country. The alleg

Read More

Barcelona Leads the Tour de France’s Opening Stage

Barcelona Leads the Tour de France’s Opening Stage

A team time trial on Montjuic kicks off the 2026 Tour de France, emphasizing that cycling’s premier race is also a public affair
The 2026 Tour de France starts in Barcelona on July 4 with a 19.6km team time trial, highlighting teamwork, urban design, and public accessibility before the peloton moves toward France. The Grand Depart is not just a sporting kickoff; it is a civic engagement wh

Read More

Erdoğan Rejects Israel’s Acknowledgment of Armenian Genocide, Cites Gaza Deaths

Erdoğan Rejects Israel’s Acknowledgment of Armenian Genocide, Cites Gaza Deaths

Erdoğan has consistently accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Recently, Turkey’s Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz criticized Israel’s vote recognizing the Armenian genocide as “an attempt to cover up their own crimes.” Israel has firmly denied these accusations of genocide.
The focus is on the Ottoman Empire’s campaign, which resulted in the deaths of over 1 million Armenians and

Read More

US Reaffirms Baltic Support, Central to European Defense Cooperation

US Reaffirms Baltic Support, Central to European Defense Cooperation

Washington, D.C., June 30, 2026 – Eurotoday — European defense cooperation was reaffirmed after a senior US general said the United States would stand with its European allies in defending the Baltic states if needed. The remarks come as NATO continues strengthening its eastern defenses through joint military exercises, increased troop deployments, and closer coordination among member nations am

Read More

OSCE Meeting Cautions Against Ineffective Torture Prevention

OSCE Meeting Cautions Against Ineffective Torture Prevention

The OSCE’s third Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of 2026 commenced in Vienna highlighting the absolute legal ban on torture, while noting uneven implementation across the region. Officials and experts called for enhanced safeguards in police custody, independent detention monitoring, non-coercive interview methods, and accountability for abuses in peacetime, protests, and armed confli

Read More

In Germany, Football Reflects a Governance Crisis

In Germany, Football Reflects a Governance Crisis

“The national team operates like the federal government: high on ambition, low on resolve. Individuals struggle alone, no one claims responsibility, and when fortune finally comes, the success is negated,” wrote German MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann on X, addressing a controversially disallowed goal during overtime, which could have secured Germany’s victory.
There is “always a connection

Read More

Congo Brings Rwanda to World Court Over Decades of Atrocities and Requests Belgium to Return Its Dead

Congo Brings Rwanda to World Court Over Decades of Atrocities and Requests Belgium to Return Its Dead

The Democratic Republic of Congo filed proceedings against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice in the week of its 66th independence anniversary, in what victims’ groups and government officials are describing as the most significant international accountability action the country has ever taken — while simultaneously pressing Belgium to return more than 500 human remains held in Europea

Read More

EU Strengthens Chemicals Agency Foundation

EU Strengthens Chemicals Agency Foundation

The European Union has taken steps to bolster the agency central to its chemical safety system, following a provisional agreement by the Council and European Parliament on a standalone legal framework for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). This agreement aims to provide ECHA with clearer authority, increased funding flexibility, and stronger independence safeguards as it expands beyond traditi

Read More

Transatlantic Dialogue: US and German Journalists Explore EU Reporting at the European Newsroom

Transatlantic Dialogue: US and German Journalists Explore EU Reporting at the European Newsroom

The European Newsroom (enr) hosted a delegation of journalists from the United States at its Brussels office as part of a two-week exchange program with the RIAS Berlin Kommission.
The group, representing various media outlets including Semafor, WCVB, NPR, CNN, KTVI/KPLR, WSOC Charlotte, Spectrum News, ABC, The Dispatch, and CBS, hailed from states such as New York, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C

Read More