The World Health Organization on Tuesday said there had been a sharp rise in the number of measles cases across Europe in January and February of this this year, with more than 34,000 people catching the disease.
The WHO is urging authorities to ensure that vulnerable people are vaccinated, with the disease currently spreading in many parts of the world.
“If outbreak response is not timely and comprehensive, the virus will find its way into more pockets of vulnerable individuals and potentially spread to additional countries within and beyond the region,” the WHO said in a statement.
“Every opportunity should be used to vaccinate susceptible children, adolescents and adults.”
Ukraine — which is suffering a measles epidemic — was the worst affected part of Europe with more than 25,000 people affected over the tiome period. Romania and Albania also had high infection rates.
Measles is also spreading in many other parts of the world, beinig on the increase in the US, Philippines and Thailand. Researchers have claimed that the disease is spreading, at least in part, because there are pockets of unvaccinated peoplein those place.
A highly contagious disease, measles can cause blindness, deafness, brain damage, and even death.