Outbreak in ski resort

More and more measles cases because vaccination gaps are increasing

Measles can be particularly dangerous for small children.

(Bild: Aleksandr - stock.adobe.com)

Infection alert in a ski resort in Upper Austria? That doesn't sound good, just mention Ischgl and Corona. It's certainly not that bad in Gosau, but measles should not be underestimated either. This infectious disease should actually have been eradicated by now, but unfortunately it is celebrating its heyday again due to vaccination gaps. There is a simple antidote, and it's free: vaccination.

As reported, the Gmunden district authority is reminding all those who were in the Gosau, Dachstein-West ski region on December 27 to exercise self-control. A visit to a restaurant has also been confirmed. The infected person, who knew nothing about his infection, was in the Sonnenalm on the Zwieselalm at around 1 pm.

Only six measles cases in 2023
There were only six cases of measles in Upper Austria in 2023, but 128 cases were recorded in the previous year. Nationwide, there were 185 cases two years ago and 590 in the previous year. "The measles vaccination is well tolerated, has been tried and tested millions of times and you can have it boostered at any time free of charge," advises Provincial Health Director Georg Palmisano. Babies in particular should be vaccinated early. 

"No light at the end"
But why does the much-vaunted herd immunity, on which vaccination-critical young parents so readily rely, work too little? "This is because it requires vaccination coverage of 95 percent of the population. We are a long way from that at the moment and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel," says Palmisano. In the 1980s, one of the WHO's goals was to eradicate measles ...

Also interesting: There are vaccination gaps not only because this protection has fallen into disrepute, especially since corona, but also because the vaccine that was previously used against measles has partially lost its effectiveness. However, we are talking about the age group that was a child in the 1970s.