March 13, 2025

expert reaction to WHO report on measles cases in Europe in 2024

Scientists comment on a WHO report on the number of measles cases in Europe in 2024. 

Prof Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, Institute of Child Health, University College London, said:

“Measles is highly infectious and can be very serious. It is extremely concerning that after so much progress since the beginning of the century in reducing the impact of the disease, 2024 saw the highest number of cases in Europe since the late 1990s. There have been 38 reported deaths. Unfortunately, this is the expected outcome of decline in uptake of measles containing vaccines (MMR – measles, mumps and rubella) in many countries. The solution is simple: vaccination. MMR is inexpensive, highly effective and very safe, but a sustained very high uptake of 95% is needed to keep measles at bay. It is never too late to catch up on missed doses, even into adulthood, with two doses needed for best protection. Vaccination is the only way to stop further outbreaks in their tracks.”

Prof Sir Andrew Pollard FMedSci, Ashall Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity and Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, said:

“The fall in vaccination rates in the USA and in Europe in recent years is directly responsible for the current outbreaks of measles. Just recently a child died from this infection in Texas and we could expect that as many as 1 in 3000 unvaccinated children with measles will succumb, and death rates are much higher among children with compromised immune systems and the malnourished. Vaccination is able to provide a shield against measles for all of our children if only we use it.”

Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, University of East Anglia (UEA), said:

Was this trend expected?

“We have seen this coming for some months. In England and Wales in 2024 there were 8,677 notifications which was higher than we have seen in any one year since 1994. Most Measles infections occurred during the first six months of the year and numbers are much lower now than the same time last year. In the first 10 weeks of 2025 there have been 420 notifications (these numbers may change slightly due to late or duplicate reports being corrected), compared to 2,866 in the same period last year

What factors are contributing to this rise in measles cases?

“Measles is one of the most infectious viruses affecting humans. This means that a very high proportion,  at least 95%, of the population needs to be vaccinated to generate herd immunity. We are below that. So not enough people are vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus.

How concerned should we be about the number of cases in terms of public health, who is most at risk?

“Infection levels now are much lower than they were a year ago. But we are still getting about 40 notifications a week. Measles is a very nasty disease that can kill both children and adults. Measles is a cause of deafness and can cause encephalitis which can leave a child with permanent brain damage.  Although rare a small number of children go onto develop Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) which affects a person in their late teens, early 20s with a progressive and ultimately fatal brain disorder.

What is being done to control outbreaks when they occur and what steps can be taken to prevent future outbreaks?

“Although we would use control measures such as isolation when cases are identified, the fact is that only vaccination can really protect people and vaccination rates are not high enough. People cannot rely on the protective effect of herd immunity.”

Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, said:

“Measles is pretty much completely vaccine-preventable. Two doses of the measles vaccines prevents infection, illness and thus transmission. With a high global uptake, the world could eradicate this disease. However, measles is incredibly infectious, more so than for example the COVID-19 variants. With even slight declines in vaccine uptake, outbreaks are inevitable.

“With Robert F Kennedy Jr and Trump in charge of health in the USA, we are likely to see misinformation ramped up inside and outside of North America, and this can be very pervasive. There have already been two measles-related deaths in the USA in recent weeks, the first such deaths there in over 20 years. The WHO report that half of the 2024 cases were hospitalised, and there were 38 deaths. It’s clear that measles in unvaccinated populations is a serious disease.

“It’s vital that health promotion and catch-up campaigns identify areas with low measles vaccine uptake, in the UK, Europe, USA and around the world. There’s no need for anyone to lose their life to measles.”

Dr Doug Brown, Chief Executive, British Society for Immunology, said:

“It is extremely worrying to see such high numbers of measles cases across the European Region. Measles is a very nasty disease that causes serious illness, including hospitalisation and, in extreme situations, death. In recent outbreaks in England, one in five children who caught measles were hospitalised.

“The measles virus is highly contagious and spreads easily from person-to-person. The good news is that in the UK we have access to a safe and effective vaccine — the MMR vaccine — that provides long-term protection against measles. However, as measles is so infectious, uptake of this vaccine needs to be very high, at 95%, to stop the disease circulating within our communities. We have long known that vaccine uptake rates for the MMR vaccine in both the UK and Europe are lower than this required level. For example, in England in 2023-24, only 83.9% of children had received both doses of the MMR vaccine by the required timepoint. 

“The pattern of increased measles cases in Europe is one that we are seeing played out in the UK too, with measles outbreaks across many communities over the last 18 months. It is positive to see the World Health Organization and UNICEF taking action across Europe. In the UK, we urgently call for renewed efforts from the NHS to fully implement and resource their Vaccination Strategy, which will be vital in tackling these low vaccination rates.

“To protect yourself and your family members against measles, the best advice is to get vaccinated. If you are unsure if you or your children have vaccinated against measles, contact your GP surgery and they can provide catch-up vaccinations. It’s never too late to protect yourself against this serious illness.”

Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, Assistant Professor in Global Health & Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:

“Measles cases across the UK are rising, as we’re also seeing across other parts of Europe, Central Asia and through new outbreaks in the US.

“Measles is extremely infectious. Before routine vaccination began, England and Wales saw large outbreaks with peaks of 600,000 cases in some years.

“Vaccination programmes in the UK and globally have been so successful that it can be easy to forget why we still need them and many people may not have a memory of the consequences of infections like measles.

“Public health must constantly engage with families and communities through outreach, but that can be difficult when resources are increasingly stretched. But the costs of reducing public health outreach speak for themselves, and history tells us that even a small decline in vaccine uptake can have devastating consequences.

“In 2024 there were 2,911 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number of cases recorded annually since 2012. The majority of measles cases we’re seeing in the UK and elsewhere are in young children and predominantly among those who are unvaccinated.

“Being vaccinated is the best way to protect you, your child, your family and people who aren’t able to get the vaccine like young babies, from getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people.

“It’s never too late to get vaccinated. If you have questions, don’t know whether you’ve already had a vaccine or want to find out where to get a vaccine, the best advice is to talk to your GP.

“We also learnt from the COVID-19 vaccination programme that misinformation can travel rapidly and can influence people’s decisions. It’s important to be mindful that the vaccine information on social media may not be based on scientific evidence and could put you or your child at risk of a serious illness, so my advice would be to always check with credible sources like the NHS website.

“We also have clear examples in the UK of how we can work together to improve vaccine coverage. The UK Health Security Agency launched a national incident response for measles amidst nationwide outbreaks, including a catch-up campaign to bring undervaccinated children up to date on the routine schedule. This helped to increase coverage, particularly in underserved ethnic minority communities, showing what can be achieved with appropriate resources to engage families.

“There has been a trend of declining routine childhood immunisation coverage, across all vaccines offered to parents, over the past decade. The burden of decline, and risk of vaccine preventable disease, is not evenly spread and affects underserved communities and areas. The causes are complex and involve a mix of issues, and importantly, has been taking place amidst an unforgiving cost of living crisis and generational decline in living standards that affects families.”

*WHO Material:

Measles Vaccination Coverage https://immunizationdata.who.int/global/wiise-detail-page/measles-vaccination-coverage?ANTIGEN=MCV2&YEAR=&ADVANCED_GROUPINGS=EURO&CODE=

Measles Reported Cases and Incidence https://immunizationdata.who.int/global/wiise-detail-page/measles-reported-cases-and-incidence?CODE=EUR&YEAR=

Declared interests

Prof Paul Hunter “No COIs”

Dr Michael Head “No COIs”

Dr Doug Brown “is trustee of the Association of Medical Research Charities.”

Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush “No COIs“