Vaccination uptake steers Malta clear from measles outbreak
As Europe experiences a surge in measles cases, Malta has managed to keep the infectious disease controlled through a strong uptake in vaccinations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) marked an “alarming” increase in measles cases in Europe last year.
According to the UN agency, more than 30,0000 cases were reported between January and October, compared with 941 cases in the whole of 2022 – more than a 30-fold rise.
A highly contagious disease, measles is caused by a virus and spreads when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Symptoms can start as a cold, which then progresses to a high fever, cough, and a red rash across the body and face. If not treated, measles infection can lead to severe complications and death.
While measles can affect anyone, it is most common in children.
According to the WHO, two in five cases were children between the ages of one and four years old, and one in every five cases was among adults 20 years and older.
Following the WHO’s warning, the UK declared a “national incident” amid a surge in measles cases. The UK’s health authorities noted a sharp rise in the number of measles cases, while the uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is at its lowest in more than a decade.
Malta bucked the trend. A health ministry spokesperson said there were no confirmed cases or deaths of measles in Malta last year and so far in 2024.
The spokesperson said clinicians and laboratories are legally obliged to notify public health authorities of measles cases.
“Moreover, public health authorities regularly communicate with healthcare professionals on infectious diseases of note, including measles, and their obligation and importance of timely reporting so cases are investigated and prompt public health measures are taken as necessary to prevent further transmission,” the spokesperson told Times of Malta.
“The health ministry encourages all parents to vaccinate their children. Malta has managed to keep many infectious diseases controlled through good uptake of vaccination.”
Measles can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine, known as the MMR vaccine.
The WHO noted that the first dose of measles vaccine in the region decreased from 96 per cent in 2019 to 93 per cent in 2022. The second dose coverage also fell, from 92 per cent in 2019 to 91 per cent in 2022.
In Malta, the vaccine is offered free of charge to those born after 1982 through the National Immunisation Service as part of the National Immunisation Schedule.
The first dose is given at 13 months and the second when the child is over three years old. Unvaccinated adults can also take the vaccine, with at least eight weeks apart between the two doses.
The Maltese health authorities noted a slight dip in MMR vaccination rates in 2021 but recovered in the following years.
“In 2021 the vaccination rate dropped to 91 per cent for both the first and second doses, but then picked up to 96 per cent and 95 per cent respectively for the first and second doses in 2022,” the spokesperson explained.
The decline in MMR vaccinations in 2021 was attributed to the pandemic, where people were reluctant to visit health centres, if not unwell.
This was seen in most countries, however for Malta, the vaccination rates recovered well in subsequent years.
In 2021, 91 per cent of children between the ages of 12 and 18 months received the first dose of MMR and 90 per cent of children had received a second dose by the age of four.
In 2022, the percentage of those vaccinated with the first dose by 18 months shot up by five per cent.
While the official figures for 2023 are still being processed, the spokesperson said the indications for the uptake are positive.