Against the backdrop of measles epidemics in several EU countries, on Friday 16 February the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published a threat assessment brief showing an increasing number of cases in the European region, in areas where vaccination coverage levels are low, with groups of unvaccinated people.
Infants under 12 months of age who are too young to be immunised represent the largest risk group, with unvaccinated children under 5 years of age, immunocompromised children and adults at greater risk of serious illness and increased mortality, explains the Commission.
To interrupt transmission of this highly contagious disease, 95% or more of the population must be vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine. ECDC encourages public health authorities to maintain high vaccination coverage, to ensure surveillance, early detection, diagnosis and control of epidemics, and to raise awareness among health professionals and the public.
For European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, the upward trend in measles cases in Europe is a cause for concern, because the disease is highly contagious.
Link to the brief: https://aeur.eu/f/aw8 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)