Vaccine skepticism, measles on the rise

The World Health Organisation says the number of measles cases in Europe jumped sharply during the first six months of 2018 and at least 37 people have died.

The UN agency’s European office said yesterday more than 41,000 measles cases were reported in the region during the first half of the year – more than in all 12-month periods so far this decade.

The previous highest annual total was 23,927 cases in 2017. A year earlier, only 5273 cases were reported.

The agency said half – some 23,000 cases – this year occurred in Ukraine, where an insurgency backed by Russia has been fighting the government for four years in the east in a conflict that has killed over 10,000 people. France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Russia and Serbia also had more than 1000 measles infections each so far this year.

Measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases, is a virus that’s spread in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can be prevented with a vaccine that’s been in use since the 1960s, but health officials say vaccination rates of at least 95 percent are needed to prevent epidemics.

Vaccine skepticism remains high in many parts of Europe after past immunisation problems.

Italy has introduced a new law requiring parents to vaccinate their children against measles and nine other childhood diseases. Romania also passed a similar bill, including hefty fines for parents who didn’t vaccinate their children. –AP