Measles outbreaks spread throughout Europe

The World Health Organization warns that measles are spreading throughout Europe because the regional vaccination rate tends to decrease.

Initial statistics show that the number of newly discovered cases of measles in Europe in February continued to rise, the BBC reported. In January alone, Italy had 200 cases. In Romania, from January 2016 to now, the number of measles patients reaches 3,400, of which 17 people die.

A baby with measles.(Photo: Baby Center).

Because measles are highly contagious, WHO warns modern tourism models that no one or any country is out of danger. To control measles well, at least 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated, but many countries are struggling to achieve this goal. The areas most affected by measles are France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Finland, Switzerland and Ukraine all have vaccination rates below safe levels.

Explaining the cause of the decline in vaccination rates, Robb Butler from the WHO European office said: " Some countries like Ukraine face problems of supply and procurement ." A part of people hesitated to vaccinate because of fear or too troublesome. In France, people need to make an appointment with a doctor to get a prescription, go to a pharmacy to buy a vaccine and then return to the original doctor to give the injection.

In the face of complicated epidemics, WHO's European director Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab called for "all countries to have emergency measures to prevent measles within the border". Countries that have reached the target of vaccination also need to maintain high results and vigilance.