The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), operating within the European Union (EU), stated that there was a serious increase in measles and whooping cough cases across member countries and warned that vaccination protocols should be followed.
According to the news reported by Euronews, ECDC Director Andrea Ammon emphasized that although there has been a significant decrease in the death rates caused by vaccine-preventable diseases, they continue to spread among the population. “These diseases especially inflict pain on vulnerable and vulnerable people of all ages,” Ammon said.
According to ECDC data, the number of measles cases began to increase across the European Union in 2023. At least 5,770 measles cases and five deaths were reported between March 2023 and the end of February 2024.
Because it spreads easily, a sick person with measles can infect 12 to 18 people. To stop measles transmission, at least 95 percent of the population needs to receive two doses of the vaccine.
There has also been a large increase in cases of whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory infection, in the EU since mid-2023. Preliminary data from the ECDC shows a tenfold increase in whooping cough cases in 2023 and 2024 compared to 2022 and 2021.
In both cases, newborn babies and young children who cannot be vaccinated suffer the most severe consequences. Newborn babies and young children need to be protected by herd immunity.
MORE THAN 1.8 MILLION BABIES WERE NOT VACCINATED
Emphasizing the necessity of vaccination, ECDC Director Ammon underlined that widespread vaccination will not only protect those who have been vaccinated, but also help the group that cannot receive enough doses because they are too young or their immune systems are weak.
The ECDC attributes the recent increase in cases to several factors, including increased circulation of the disease following a decline during the pandemic years, as well as a decline in vaccination.
Is it more dangerous not to get vaccinated against major epidemics such as measles during the Covid-19 period?
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 1.8 million babies missed the measles vaccine in the European Region between 2020 and 2022.
WHO found that the Covid-19 outbreak, disruptions in the supply chain, the diversion of resources to Covid-19 response efforts, and quarantines limiting vaccination services led to many children being deprived of vaccines.
