Measles cases in Europe and Central Asia dropped by three-quarters in 2025 compared to the previous year – but the decline is partly due to the virus running out of people to infect after spreading rapidly through under-vaccinated communities.

Preliminary data from 53 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region reported 33,998 measles cases in 2025 and 127,412 in 2024, according to the WHO and UNICEF.

“While cases have reduced, the conditions that led to the resurgence of this deadly disease in recent years remain and must be addressed,” warned Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia.

“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.”

In 2024, 19 countries had ongoing measles cases – up from 12 the previous year, according to the European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination.

“This represents the most significant setback in measles elimination in the region in recent years,” according to the two UN bodies.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri Kluge, warned that over 200,000 people in our region have contracted measles in the past three years. 

“Unless every community reaches 95% vaccination coverage, closes immunity gaps across all ages, strengthens disease surveillance and ensures timely outbreak response, this highly contagious virus will keep spreading,” Kluge warned.

“In today’s environment of rampant fake news, it’s also crucial that people rely on verified health information from reliable sources such as WHO, UNICEF and national health agencies. Eliminating measles is essential for national and regional health security.”

Two doses of the measles vaccine provide up to 97% life-long protection against the virus and a vaccination rate of 95% with both doses in every community each year is needed to prevent measles outbreaks and achieve herd immunity. 

This protects infants too young for measles vaccination and other people for whom it is not recommended due to medical conditions, like those who are immunocompromised.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses with every infected person able to infect up to 18 unvaccinated people.

It can cause serious illness, death and damage to the immune system, including by “erasing” its memory of how to fight infections, leaving measles survivors vulnerable to other diseases and death.

Image Credits: WHO.