Health agencies warn that measles still challenge Europe, even after a drop in cases in 2025 compared with the previous year’s record. Experts call for urgent action to counter vaccination hesitancy and prevent new outbreaks across the continent.
Measles often fade from public attention, but they continue to spread in many countries. Europe recorded 127,350 measles cases in 2024, which marked the highest number since 1997. Cases declined in 2025, but infections still doubled compared with 2023, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Sabrina Bacci, head of the ECDC programme on vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation, said Europe should lead the world in measles elimination. She said Europe has a highly effective and safe vaccine, strong knowledge, sufficient resources, and some of the most robust surveillance tools to control this preventable disease.
Vaccination Rates Still Fail to Reach Safe Levels
Experts say at least 95 percent of eligible people must receive two doses of the vaccine to prevent outbreaks and protect vulnerable groups. These groups include children too young to be vaccinated and people who cannot receive vaccines for medical reasons.
The ECDC reported that 8 in 10 people who fell ill with measles in 2025 had not been vaccinated. This pattern matched the trend seen in 2024 and showed persistent gaps in immunisation coverage.
Bacci said individual vaccination protects others who cannot be vaccinated by reducing the spread of infections. She said vaccination acts as self-protection and solidarity. She added that eliminating measles remains possible if countries and communities act together.
A Virus That Spreads Faster Than Most Diseases
Measles rank among the most contagious viruses affecting humans. One infected person can infect up to 18 unvaccinated people, which makes measles far more contagious than influenza.
The disease can cause long-term and debilitating health complications. Measles can damage the immune system by erasing its memory of how to fight infections for months or even years. The World Health Organization warns that survivors become vulnerable to other diseases and death after infection.
Vaccination Stays the Key Tool Against Measles
There is no cure and no specific treatment for measles. The illness usually lasts about two weeks without complications, but vaccination remains the main tool to stop transmission and prevent severe outcomes.
Regina De Dominicis, regional director for Europe and Central Asia at UNICEF, said recent declines in cases do not remove the conditions that led to the resurgence. She stressed the need to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. She warned that children will remain at risk of death or serious illness without stronger vaccination uptake.
Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, urged people to rely only on verified health information from trusted sources. He warned about widespread misinformation and said eliminating measles is essential for national and regional health security.
Measles Resurgence Threatens Global Progress
Europe is not the only region facing rising measles cases. After years of progress in measles control worldwide, the disease has steadily increased in recent years.
The WHO announced earlier this year that Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan lost their measles-free status after the surge in cases in 2024. A country loses this status when the virus returns and transmission continues for more than one year.
