BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2018) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has voiced alarm about the record-high number of measles cases registered in Europe in the first half of 2018, with experts pointing to growing vaccination skepticism and inflow of unvaccinated migrants as main driving factors.
On Monday, the WHO expressed concern that the number of measles cases in Europe had surpassed 41,000 in the first six month months of the year, compared to the highest annual total of 23,927 in 2017, and 5,273 cases recorded in 2016. The decease has already claimed lives of at least 37 people this year, according to the organization.
"European countries must take action now. Measles is highly infectious, and people born after 1970 are not protected anymore as well as those who were born before and benefited from large scale vaccination campaigns at school. It has become an epidemic in some parts of Europe, the worst being probably Romania," Catharina de Kat, an information officer for the vaccine-preventable diseases program of the WHO Regional Office Europe, told Sputnik.
VACCINE SCEPTICISM, MIGRATION AS MAIN FACTORS
According to Dr. Romain Mahieu, a vaccination specialist at the Belgian Hygiene Inspection service, the current measles epidemic has been driven by the decreasing number of vaccinated people as EU countries seek to abandon the tradition of compulsory vaccination.
"The epidemic is due to two main reasons. The first reason is the slow decline of vaccination. It used to be compulsory at Primary school in most European countries before the 1970s, but since then rumors and false information have spread, thanks to the internet and many more people hesitate and refuse to see their children vaccinated, especially with the �cocktail for a group of diseases, as applied now. Once the number of people vaccinated in the country falls below 90 percent, you increase the risk of seeing the disease spreading rapidly," Mahieu told Sputnik.
The situation is being further exacerbated by the inflow of unvaccinated migrants, he added.
"The second reason is migration, since migrants from many countries are not vaccinated at all, and some carry the virus, which can then infect populations that have lost the so-called �herd immunity level, that protects a large population; if 95 percent of the people in a given country have had the disease or are vaccinated, the disease - for example measles, chickenpox, mumps, rubella or hepatitis - cannot develop, and simply disappears. When you are vaccinated, you will never get the disease anymore. Your body has developed the antibodies that attack that particular germ and kill it," Mahieu argued.
The expert expressed regret that more and more people refuse to have their children vaccinated, while being guided by fallacious information. He noted that often "educated people, people with university degrees" fall victims to myths that vaccination could allegedly cause autism, which is "nonsense."
He noted that measles and whooping cough are one of the most dangerous diseases at the moment, since they are both lethal and put small babies at risk.
DOCTORS ADVOCATE VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS
The measles epidemic has also hit Western Europe, with France, whose vaccination rates are among the worst in Europe, heavily affected.
"France is badly hit for the moment. The country has recorded more than 2,500 cases of measles in the year to May 2018, including three deaths and high rates of hospitalization (22 percent)," Gary Finnegan from Vaccines Today, an online platform financed by the industry, told Sputnik.
According to Finnegan, most cases in France are registered among children "who are too young for a vaccine" and "can only be protected by the �herd immunity which is very low in France," with only 88 percent of people vaccinated.
Dr. Carol Schirvel from the Belgian health authority AVIQ (Wallonia) told Sputnik that the current trend was "very worrying," as measles is a highly infectious decease.
"Measles infects 90 percent of people exposed to it. The minuscule droplets hang in the air and infect people two hours after somebody with the disease has coughed or sneezed in a room! The infection lasts seven to 10 days. But heavy complications can be expected: meningitis, a killer, pneumonia, hepatitis, encephalitis, etc � In the case of measles, it is often only two to three years after having had the disease that the patient is badly hit, with coma, leading to death," he warned.
Schirvel stressed that governments across Europe should urgently "start information campaigns to restore the image of vaccination," so that children "receive the vaccine in two shots: around their first birthday and then just before starting school."
WHO CALLS FOR HIGH IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE
The epidemic in Europe is developing slowly, since there is still a very high number of vaccinated people, but the protection of population is slowly decreasing. Moreover, it is not only measles, tuberculosis is also on the rise in Europe after having been eradicated for decades, especially in large cities.
Meanwhile, vaccination scepticism is on the rise. Italy, for instance, has recently given a wrong signal to Europeans health amid its attempts to overturn the law obliging parents to have their children vaccinated against 10 diseases.
The WHO, in turn, urges Europe to "ensure high immunization coverage" to protect the population from lethal diseases.
"WHO encourages Italy and every other country currently experiencing measles cases to take measures suitable in their national context to ensure high immunization coverage, stop the outbreak and thereby protect its citizens from a life-threatening disease, which can be prevented using the available safe and effective vaccine. WHO will continue to work with Italys Ministry of Health to ensure that the country progresses towards achieving its commitments outlined in the European Vaccine Action Plan, including elimination of measles and rubella," De Kat said.
She stressed that vaccines remained "among the most effective tools for health protection" which prevent dangerous diseases from persisting or re-emerging.
"Health authorities need to ensure that everyone has equitable access to vaccines and that parents understand the importance of vaccinating their children fully and on time according to the national immunization schedule. Stepping up action to eliminate measles and rubella and control hepatitis B infection are among the European Regions priorities, as outlined in the European Vaccine Action Plan," the expert stressed.
Europeans are being warned, and it seems that national governments or even the European Commission will have to engage in a major information effort, to rehabilitate vaccination as the way forward. Amid the measles outbreak, it becomes urgent for the European Union and neighboring countries, such as Serbia, Turkey or Ukraine.
