Measles isn’t just making a comeback in the United States. In a report out this week, the World Health Organization found that cases of the vaccine-preventable disease surged in Europe and Central Asia last year, reaching the highest levels seen in over two decades.
The WHO released its analysis, jointly conducted with UNICEF, on Thursday. According to the report, there were more than 120,000 documented cases of measles in the European region, which covers 53 countries across Europe and Asia, in 2024. The tally is double the number reported in 2023, and the highest total seen in the area since 1997.
Measles is an incredibly contagious viral disease, though there has been a widely available and highly effective vaccine available against it since the 1970s (the combination measles, mumps, and rubella—or MMR—vaccine). Successful vaccination programs drove measles to the brink of eradication in many places, including the U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. officially eliminated the local transmission of measles in 2000, while cases in the European region reached an all-time reported low of 4,440 cases in 2016. But measles continues to thrive in regions where the vaccination rate is low, and the disease can easily surge back in areas where a community’s collective immunity to it falters (about 95% of a population needs to be immunized to measles to prevent widespread transmission of the disease, a concept known as herd immunity).
Since the low-water mark in 2016, measles has made an unwelcome comeback in parts of Europe. In 2018, the UK lost its measles-free status just two years after it was obtained due to uncontrolled outbreaks (the country did eventually win back this status in 2021).
The early years of the covid-19 pandemic further complicated this situation. While social distancing practices intended to curb covid-19 also greatly reduced cases of other infectious diseases including measles, the pandemic also gravely disrupted existing vaccination programs. Thanks to these disruptions, and with people’s social lives mostly returned to normal, measles has regained a foothold in Europe and other areas of the world.
In 2023, there were more than 60,000 reported measles cases in the European region—an number that WHO officials called “alarming” at the time. This past year, there were 127,352 cases of measles in the region—more than twice the number reported in 2023. Over 40% of those cases involved children under the age of five, who are the most vulnerable to severe illness. Roughly half of the reported cases led to hospitalization, and at least 38 measles-related deaths were reported from the region in 2024.
These cases represent about one-third of all measles cases reported worldwide last year, though the true number is certainly higher. The WHO previously estimated that 10 million people caught measles in 2023, for instance, while around 100,000 died as a result. Though measles typically only causes a distinctive rash and flu-like illness, the infection can occasionally lead to life-threatening complications like encephalitis or debilitating conditions like blindness.
“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” said Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in a statement.
Measles has also reestablished its presence in the U.S. lately, with higher-than-usual case numbers since last year. Currently, the virus is surging in parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Over 200 cases and two deaths connected to the same broad outbreak have been reported in these states, though again, the actual tally is likely higher. Mexico has also reported cases connected to this outbreak, which is predominantly spreading among rural Mennonite communities with low vaccination rates. At least 10 other U.S. states have reported travel-related cases this year as well.
While the risk of measles becoming a nationwide problem in the U.S. is low, thanks to an overall high vaccination rate, there are enough vulnerable pockets of the country that measles could ignite more large-scale outbreaks if it shows up there. Stateside and beyond, the key to curbing this ancient disease is making sure that people are able and willing to get their shots.
“Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security. As we shape our new regional health strategy for Europe and central Asia, we cannot afford to lose ground. Every country must step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities,” said Kluge. “The measles virus never rests—and neither can we.”
