The virus commonly affects children and can have severe consequences (Image: Getty)
cases in have surged to the highest level recorded since 1997, prompting an urgent warning from experts that “the virus never rests — and neither can we”. Some 127,350 infections were recorded last year in the World Health Organisation’s European region, which comprises 53 countries in Europe and Central including the UK. The figure was more than double the 60,000 cases reported in 2023, and up significantly from a low of 4,440 cases in 2016.
Dr Hans P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said: “Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high rates, there is no health security. As we shape our new regional health strategy for Europe and Central Asia, we cannot afford to lose ground. Every country must step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities. The measles virus never rests — and neither can we.”
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Children under five accounted for more than two in five cases and 38 deaths were reported in preliminary data.
Separate data from the UK Health Security Agency shows there were 2,911 cases confirmed in in 2024, the highest annual figure since 2012.
Dr Doug Brown, chief executive of the British Society for Immunology, said the high numbers across Europe were “extremely worrying”.
He added: “Measles is a very nasty disease that causes serious illness, including hospitalisation and, in extreme situations, death. In recent outbreaks in England, one in five children who caught measles were hospitalised.
“The pattern of increased measles cases in Europe is one that we are seeing played out in the UK too, with measles outbreaks across many communities over the last 18 months.”
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus, and most commonly affects children. Symptoms include a high temperature, runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a cough and red or watery eyes. A rash usually appears a few days after cold-like symptoms.
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The disease can cause complications include pneumonia and even blindness. It can also cause long-term damage to the immune system, leaving survivors vulnerable to other diseases.
Cases in Europe had been declining since 1997 but started to rise in 2018 and 2019. Vaccine uptake then fell during the outbreak, when routine healthcare services were disrupted. Rates in many countries have yet to return to pre- levels.
Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, assistant professor in global health and development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said England and Wales used to see large outbreaks of up to 600,000 cases before routine vaccination began.
He added: “Vaccination programmes in the UK and globally have been so successful that it can be easy to forget why we still need them and many people may not have a memory of the consequences of infections like measles.
“Public health must constantly engage with families and communities through outreach, but that can be difficult when resources are increasingly stretched.
“But the costs of reducing public health outreach speak for themselves, and history tells us that even a small decline in vaccine uptake can have devastating consequences.”
The worldwide total for infections last year was 359,521, meaning the European Region accounted for a third of all recorded infections. reported the highest number of cases in the region for 2024, with 30,692, followed by Kazakhstan, with 28,147.
UNICEF and the WHO called on governments in counties experiencing outbreaks to step up contact tracing and emergency vaccination campaigns.
Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia, said: “Measles cases across Europe and Central Asia have soared over the past two years – pointing to gaps in immunization coverage.
“To protect children from this deadly and debilitating disease, we need urgent government action including sustained investment in health care workers.”