The number of measles cases in Europe has increased in this year. The world health organization (WHO) counted in the first six months of the approximately 90,000 cases. Thus, the number of cases have doubled compared to the same period in 2018, informed the WHO in Geneva. In addition, four countries – Albania, Czech Republic, Greece and the United Kingdom had lost its Status as a measles – free.
The WHO has investigated a total of 53 countries on the spread of measles and rubella. It came in 48 countries to measles cases. Especially the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Russia had been affected. There, 78 percent of all measles cases in the first half of the year had occurred. In Germany, measles could still regionally limited.
100 Deaths by measles
Such a development did not exist since the beginning of the exact Monitoring 2012. “The return of measles is worrying,” said the WHO expert Günter Pfaff. Without a widespread high vaccination coverage in children would suffer as adults, unnecessary and tragic way to die. Since January of 2018, with around 100 people in Europe have succumbed to the highly contagious infectious disease. The development show the need for a vaccination coverage of 95 per cent of the population, it said. In the case of rubella, the situation would be better. Here are 39 countries, according to WHO, as free from infectious disease, which is two more than in 2017.
The year-long efforts had eradicated the measles almost. “But the outbreaks show that still more effort is needed,” said the WHO regional Director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab. Now it was time, all to address, what has led to the sometimes deadly Virus is more persistent to be able to keep. Every opportunity should be used to give children the Routine vaccination adults about their vaccination status, educate and vaccinate if necessary.
In Germany, there was, according to the Robert Koch Institute until the end of July of this year, more than 450 measles cases. In 2018, there were approximately 540 cases in 2017, just under 930. In the case of measles outbreaks, there is a year, and the regional part of large fluctuations in the case.
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