Several European countries, including the UK have lost measles eradication status – National
Britain and many other European countries have lost their measles-eradication status, the World Health Organization said on Monday, after outbreaks across the continent.
Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also lost their status, and the WHO urged countries to increase vaccination rates, especially among vulnerable people, to prevent the virus from infecting more children.
Measles is completely preventable by vaccination, but it is highly contagious, and as such is among the first diseases to re-emerge when vaccination rates decline. It usually causes symptoms including a high fever and rash, but it can also lead to serious long-term complications and even death.
Symptoms of declining goals
Health experts have warned that the rise in outbreaks around the world points to a resurgence of other preventable diseases in people who are growing distrustful or skeptical of vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The changing situation in the UK reflects the wider challenge we face in the WHO European Region,” the UN health agency said on its website. Several other European countries already have routine measles transmission, according to the WHO, including France and Romania.
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Canada lost its eradication status last year, and the US is working to maintain its status as infections increase.
WHO regional committees determine whether a country is measles-free using statistical standards. To be considered measles-free by the WHO, a country must be free of locally transmitted diseases of the same type for 12 months or more.
The decision to strip some European countries of their status was made last September based on 2024 data. But the WHO released the information on Monday after signing off from all the countries involved.
To prevent measles, vaccination rates must exceed 95 percent, WHO estimates. However in the UK, only 84.4 per cent of children had the two doses required for full protection by 2024. Government data showed 2,911 confirmed cases in England that year, the most since 2012.
On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said all children should be vaccinated against measles. The UK was first granted phase-out status in 2016, before losing it in 2018 and regaining it in 2021.
