The European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the number of measles cases registered in countries for which it is responsible increased 30 times between January and October 2023 compared to 2022, AFP and Agerpres reported.

“Between January and October 2023, more than 30,000 cases of measles were reported by 40 of the 53 member states of the region,” which also includes countries in Central Asia, the UN said in a press release. In 2022, 941 cases were registered.

Kazakhstan and Russia are the worst-affected countries, each with more than 10,000 cases. With 183 cases, the UK is the country in Western Europe where the resurgence of the disease, which is thought to be eliminated by 2021, is most evident.

“We found not only a 30-fold increase in the incidence of measles in the region, but also almost 21,000 hospitalizations and five deaths from measles. This is a cause for concern,” the WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

WHO calls for urgent vaccination against the disease

“Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to stop transmission and prevent the spread” of the disease, Kluge added.

The resurgence of this highly contagious, potentially fatal airborne viral disease has been attributed to declining vaccination coverage in the years following COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the effectiveness of the vaccination system during this period, leading to an accumulation of unvaccinated or undervaccinated children,” the release said. More than 1.8 million infants in the region were not vaccinated against measles between 2020 and 2022, according to the WHO, which is calling for increased awareness campaigns among unvaccinated communities.

Locally, it is important that at least 95% of children are vaccinated to avoid possible outbreaks when the virus is imported. In 2022, only 92% of European children received a second dose of the vaccine.