Forbes Health officials around the world are scrambling to combat a rising tide of measles as falling vaccination rates and increased travel after the Covid-19 pandemic help the dangerous virus stage an alarming comeback, with countries in Europe declaring national emergencies as U.S. experts monitor growing cases at risk of spiraling into bigger outbreaks.
There has been an “alarming resurgence of measles” in Europe over the past year, warned Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s lead for the region, which covers 53 countries across Europe, Israel and parts of Central Asia.
More than 42,200 people were infected with the virus in 2023, the WHO said, a 45-fold increase from the 941 cases reported in 2022.
“Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease,” Kluge said, calling for countries to implement “urgent” vaccination campaigns to stop the virus’ spread.
Kazakhstan and Russia reported the most infections in the countries providing data to the WHO—13,677 and 10,710 infections, respectively—but even nations in Western Europe with globally regarded healthcare systems are facing a worrying surge that is at risk of growing out of hand.
The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a major incident on Friday amid the country’s alarming surge of measles cases, with health officials now scrambling to stem the tide with an emergency vaccination campaign. There have also been measles outbreaks in France and Austria, and Romania’s health ministry has placed the country on red alert over its growing outbreak.