Infections in the first six months of 2019 would have already exceeded those recorded in all the 12 months of 2018 (84 462). In particular, the European Commission has highlighted how, since the process of monitoring in Europe began in 2012, for the first time, 4 countries have moved away from this objective: the United Kingdom, Greece, Albania and the Czech Republic. If 35 European countries have eliminated the disease (compared to 37 in 2017), in 12 of them measles remains an endemic disease.
Austria and Switzerland are good, having reached the elimination status as they have not recorded any endemic transmission for at least 36 months. “If high immune coverage is not reached and sustained in every area of the region, children and adults will suffer unnecessarily and some will die tragically,” is the appeal of Günter Pfaff, president of the RVC (The European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination ), an organization that monitors 53 states.
Good news, however, on the rubella front: 39 countries have reached the “elimination status” compared to 37 in 2017.
