On Mar. 14, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced an analysis that showed 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997.

Children under 5 accounted for more than 40% of reported cases in the Region – comprising 53 countries in Europe and central Asia. More than half of the reported cases required hospitalization. A total of 38 deaths have been reported, based on preliminary data received as of 6 March 2025.

Measles cases in the Region have generally been declining since 1997, when some 216,000 were reported, reaching a low of 4,440 cases in 2016. However, a resurgence was seen in 2018 and 2019 – with 89,000 and 106,000 cases reported for the 2 years respectively.

Following a backsliding in immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks. The European Region accounted for a third of all measles cases globally in 2024. In 2023 alone, 500,000 children across the Region missed the first dose of the measles vaccine (MCV1) that should be given through routine immunization services.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses affecting people. As well as hospitalization and death caused by complications including pneumonia, encephalitis, diarrhoea and dehydration, measles can cause long-term, debilitating health complications such as blindness. It can also damage the immune system by “erasing” its memory of how to fight infections, leaving measles survivors vulnerable to other diseases. Vaccination is the best line of defense against the virus.

Less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania were vaccinated with MCV1 in 2023 – far below the 95% coverage rate required to retain herd immunity. In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro the coverage rate for MCV1 has remained below 70% and 50% respectively for the past 5 or more years. Romania reported the highest number of cases in the Region for 2024, with 30,692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147 cases.

Measles remains a significant global threat. In 2024, 359,521 cases of measles were reported worldwide. Transmission of the virus across borders and continents occurs regularly, and outbreaks of this highly infectious disease will occur wherever the virus finds pockets of un- or under-vaccinated people, particularly children.