Today, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a report revealing that in 2024, the European Region had the highest number of measles cases since 1997.
In response, the BSI has released the following statement:
Dr Doug Brown, Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology, said:
“It is extremely worrying to see such high numbers of measles cases across the European Region. Measles is a very nasty disease that causes serious illness, including hospitalisation and, in extreme situations, death. In recent outbreaks in England, one in five children who caught measles were hospitalised.
“The measles virus is highly contagious and spreads easily from person-to-person. The good news is that in the UK we have access to a safe and effective vaccine — the MMR vaccine — that provides long-term protection against measles. However, as measles is so infectious, uptake of this vaccine needs to be very high, at 95%, to stop the disease circulating within our communities. We have long known that vaccine uptake rates for the MMR vaccine in both the UK and Europe are lower than this required level. For example, in England in 2023-24, only 83.9% of children had received both doses of the MMR vaccine by the required timepoint.
“The pattern of increased measles cases in Europe is one that we are seeing played out in the UK too, with measles outbreaks across many communities over the last 18 months. It is positive to see the World Health Organization and UNICEF taking action across Europe. In the UK, we urgently call for renewed efforts from the NHS to fully implement and resource their Vaccination Strategy, which will be vital in tackling these low vaccination rates.
“To protect yourself and your family members against measles, the best advice is to get vaccinated. If you are unsure if you or your children have vaccinated against measles, contact your GP surgery and they can provide catch-up vaccinations. It’s never too late to protect yourself against this serious illness.”
Notes for editors
You can read the full statement from UNICEF and WHO here: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/european-region-reports-highest-number-measles-cases-more-25-years-unicef-whoeurope.
You can download copies of the British Society for Immunology’s guides to vaccinations, here: www.immunology.org/public-information/vaccine-resources. The BSI guides are designed to answer common questions around how vaccinations work and why they are important.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Cox, Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel: +44(0) 7464 621 014
Email: l.cox@immunology.org
Jennie Evans, Director of External Affairs
Tel: +44(0) 7703 807 444
Email: j.evans@immunology.org
The British Society for Immunology is the UK organisation representing scientists and clinicians who study the immune system.