Britain and several other other European countries have lost their measles elimination status, the World Health Organization said on Monday, after a jump in infections across the continent.
Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also lost their status, and the WHO urged countries to spice up vaccination rates, particularly amongst under-protected populations, to forestall the viral disease infecting more children.
Measles is entirely preventable by vaccination, but could be very contagious, and so is among the many first illnesses to rebound when vaccination rates decline. It commonly causes symptoms including high fever and a rash, but may also result in serious long-term complications and even death.
Signs of declining vaccinations
Health experts have warned that rising outbreaks worldwide point to a resurgence of other preventable illnesses in populations increasingly mistrustful or skeptical of vaccines for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic.
“The UK’s change of status reflects a broader challenge we’re facing across the WHO European Region,” the U.N. health agency said on its website. Several other European countries have already got regular measles transmission, in line with the WHO, including France and Romania.
Get each day National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Canada lost its elimination status last 12 months, and the U.S. is working to retain its status as infections mount.
WHO committees in each region determine whether a rustic is measles-free using case rates. To be considered measles-free by the WHO, a rustic will need to have no locally transmitted cases of the identical strain for 12 months or longer.
The choice to strip certain European countries of their status was made last September based on data from 2024. However the WHO only released the data on Monday after getting sign-off from every country involved.
To maintain measles at bay, vaccination rates must exceed 95 per cent, the WHO estimates. Yet within the UK, only 84.4 per cent of kids had the 2 doses needed for full protection in 2024. Government data showed 2,911 confirmed cases in England that 12 months, essentially the most since 2012.
On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said all children must be vaccinated to guard themselves from measles. The UK was first given elimination status in 2016, before losing it in 2018 then regaining it in 2021.