"Worldwide trend"

More measles cases in Germany and Austria

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

In Germany, significantly more people have contracted measles this year than in previous years. By Thursday, around 550 cases had been reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The vast majority of those infected are unvaccinated. In Austria, 502 measles cases had already been registered by mid-September.

The spread of measles is often due to infected travelers from abroad who infect other people in Germany, as the RKI spokesperson explained.

This year, this applies to just under 15 percent of cases. Those infected this year were between 0 and 75 years old. Children in the first two years of life are particularly affected. No deaths have been reported so far.

All it takes is a few fewer people getting vaccinated for outbreaks to occur.

Leif Erik Sander, Leiter der Infektiologie der Berliner Charité

18,000 cases in Romania
"Measles is a disease that, with very few exceptions, can be completely prevented with vaccination," said Leif Erik Sander, Head of Infectious Diseases at Charité in Berlin. Nevertheless, the number of cases is currently rising in many countries. "It's not a German phenomenon, it's a global trend." It is not yet possible to speak of a major outbreak in Germany. In Romania, for example, the situation is much worse with around 18,000 cases so far.

About measles

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases and can sometimes be life-threatening. It is transmitted via droplets and aerosols that are emitted when speaking, coughing and sneezing. An infection usually begins with fever, conjunctivitis, a runny nose, cough and headache and white to blue-white spots on the oral mucosa. A few days later, the fever rises and the rash with brownish-pink spots typical of measles develops. The disease can lead to inflammation of the lungs and brain and can have fatal consequences.

Measles vaccination often not complete
Since 2020, it has been compulsory for children at least one year old to have a measles vaccination before being admitted to kindergartens and schools. According to the RKI, however, many children receive their measles vaccination too late or not completely.

Only just under 81% of children born in 2019 had received both vaccinations by the age of two. The willingness to be vaccinated has declined. According to Sander, statistically one in 1,000 people who fall ill dies.