Ignacio J. Molina Pineda
Professor of Immunology
Measles is a highly transmissible disease and to achieve interruption of transmission it is necessary to have vaccination rates above 95% of the population. The vaccine available to us is highly effective, but in recent years there has been a decline in vaccination rates. The hygienic and containment measures taken during the pandemic were also very effective, in a collateral way, against measles.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there was a significant increase in measles throughout Europe in 2023, especially in Romania, Austria and Liechtenstein, although still far from the figures of 2009, which saw the last peak in incidence. The vast majority, up to 95 %, of the cases detected were in unvaccinated or inadequately immunised patients. While measles can lead to major complications that would require hospitalisation, it is necessary to remember the importance of maintaining proper immunisation in all people. The moment the vaccination rate drops, new cases will appear, which is exactly what is happening all over Europe and also in Spain.