Measles cases across Europe and Central Asia declined by 75 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, according to preliminary data released on Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO), which warned of remaining outbreak risks.
“While cases have reduced, the conditions that led to the resurgence of this deadly disease in recent years remain and must be addressed,” said Regina De Dominicis, the UN Children Fund (UNICEF) regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
Fifty-three countries in Europe and Central Asia reported 33,998 measles cases in 2025, down from 127,412 in 2024.
The overall decreasing trend in cases reflects both outbreak response measures and the gradual decline in the number of people susceptible to measles infection as the virus made its way through under-vaccinated communities, according to UN agencies.
Tackling deadly misinformation
However, many cases could have been prevented with higher routine vaccination coverage at community level and more timely response to outbreaks, UN agencies said.
“Until all children are reached with vaccination, and hesitancy fuelled by the spread of misinformation is addressed, children will remain at risk of death or serious illness from measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” she warned
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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