ECDC: Check your vaccination status before the holiday season
Measles cases continue to increase in EU/EEA countries with more countries experiencing outbreaks of the disease.
ECDC Director Andrea Ammon says,
Measles outbreaks are still occurring in a number of EU countries. This fact makes it more important than ever for people to get vaccinated with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine to protect themselves and their families before the holiday season.
The highest number of cases to date in 2018 are in Romania (3 284), France (2 306), Greece (2 097) and Italy (1 258) respectively. Twenty five deaths have also been reported by these countries in 2018. This is according to the most recent measles data collected by ECDC through epidemic intelligence and published in the Communicable Diseases Threats Report (CDTR).
ECDC also publishes its ECDC’s monthly measles and rubella monitoring report which gives more information on age and distribution of cases as well as vaccination coverage rates.
In order to reach elimination and protect those most vulnerable to severe complications and death from measles such as infants, 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated with two doses of measles-containing vaccine. Only five EU/EEA countries reported at least 95% vaccination coverage for both doses of measles-containing vaccine according to the most recent data collected (WHO 2016), showing that further sustained action is needed.
