Measles outbreak in Europe

More than 41,000 people were infected with measles between January and June. This is well above the total number of cases in any other year this past decade.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is now calling on European countries to immediately implement measures to stop further spread of the highly contagious disease.

At least 37 people died from the disease in the first six months of the year, compared to 35 in total for 2017.

Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, has warned of a dramatic increase in measles infections and extended outbreaks.

Measles can be prevented with the so-called MMR vaccine, which has been in use since the 1960s. But according to Jakab, vaccination rates of at least 95 percent are required to prevent epidemics.

She is therefore calling on European countries to urge its citizens to take the vaccine.

Georgia, France, Italy, Greece, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine all recorded more than 1,000 measles cases in the first half of the year. Ukraine was hit the hardest, with 23,000 infections.

Children and pregnant women are at particular risk of measles infection.

Translated by prosa.fo