Children under five accounted for more than 40% of the 127,350 cases reported last year in the region, which comprises 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, WHO said in a statement.

“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said.

“Following a backsliding in immunisation coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels,” WHO added.

Over recent months, the spotlight has been on measles also in the US.

An outbreak in Texas and New Mexico, which has caused the first US measles deaths in a decade, this week expanded by 28 to 256 infections.

According to WHO, measles is one of the most contagious viruses for humans.

Infections can cause complications including pneumonia, encephalitis and dehydration and also damage the immune system’s defensive memory against various pathogens.

WHO said today that less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania had their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023 – far below the 95% coverage rate required to prevent an outbreak.

Romania reported the highest number of cases in the European region in 2024, with 30,692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147 cases, it added.