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.
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