“Vaccines have protected many generations and we should make sure they continue to do so”

In Milan, after disappearing during the pandemic, measles has returned: 30 cases have been recorded since September. Between March 2023 and February 2024 in Europe Over 5,700 cases of measles and at least 5 deaths due to the infectious disease have been recorded.

And cases of whooping cough increased 10 times compared to the previous two years.

Measles, who should take the serological test? Cases on the rise, how the infection occurs and what the symptoms are

The numbers

From September 2023 to March 2024, 30 cases of infection were recorded, more than a third of all cases recorded from August 2019 to August 2023, according to an analysis by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Thirteen of the cases were were confirmed by analyses. Eight of them required hospitalization. According to the research, coordinated by the University of Milan, the infected people have an average age of 33 and have returned from a trip to Asia.

Expert advice

«Although we have not yet identified widespread and disruptive epidemics, the strengthening of surveillance for fever and skin rashes and the activities of vaccination recovery are essential to help limit the impact of cross-border transmission following travel to endemic countries and facilitate the control of new outbreaks” say the researchers.

The situation in Europe: whooping cough is also back

Between March 2023 and February 2024, over 5,700 cases of measles and at least 5 deaths due to the infectious disease were recorded in Europe. And cases of whooping cough increased 10 times compared to the previous two years. These are the preliminary data released today by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on the occasion of the European Immunization Week, from 21 to 27 April. “It is disheartening to see that, despite decades of progress in vaccine effectiveness, EU and European Economic Area countries and globally are still dealing with outbreaks of several vaccine-preventable diseases,” director Andrea said in a statement. Ammon. «Vaccines have protected many generations and we should ensure they continue to do so». The European agency recalled that those at greatest risk, both from measles and whooping cough, are children under one year old, who are still too young to be completely protected by the vaccine. In the case of measles, the role of herd immunity is essential. “Measles spreads very easily, therefore, high vaccination coverage of at least 95% of the population vaccinated with two doses is essential to interrupt transmission,” explains the Center for Prevention. In the case of whooping cough, «to best protect them, it is essential to be sure that all recommended vaccines against whooping cough are administered on time. Vaccination during pregnancy can also protect young children,” concludes the European agency.

«In the last three years, More than 1.8 million children in the WHO European Region have not been vaccinated against measles. The consequence of this is a 60-fold increase in the number of measles cases in 2023 compared to 2022.” This is what we read in a statement from the European Commission, the World Health Organization and Unicef. “Our determination to guarantee the benefits of vaccination to everyone, everywhere must not waver,” continue the three institutions. «Together, we will continue to raise awareness of the benefits of vaccination. We continue to help ensure that health systems are adequately prepared for any epidemic and future pandemics,” they conclude.

Measles: what it is and what the symptoms are

Measles is an infectious disease that is transmitted through the air. It is a very contagious infection that spreads rapidly and gives rise to epidemics, so much so that before the advent of vaccination it was one of the main causes of death in childhood. A fact that today, although the disease is no longer lethal due to the spread of the vaccine, has not changed: measles remains a serious disease that can even lead to death.

Measles symptoms appear about ten days after infection. In the initial phase the sick person has a cough, fever and cold; the eyes can then become red and sensitive to light. Small white spots surrounded by a reddish halo may appear on the gums and inside the cheeks called Koplik spots. Between the third and seventh day after the appearance of the first symptoms, the temperature can rise above 40°C and red spots appear on the skin, first on the face and then all over the body.

The complications

Both the rash and the fever usually disappear within a few days, but in about 30% of cases complications can develop – including ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, post-infectious encephalitis (1 in a thousand or 2 thousand cases) and bacterial superinfections. In this case you need to be admitted to hospital.

Mortality is 1-3 cases per thousand and is highest in those under five years of age and among immunocompromised individuals, with pneumonia responsible for 6 out of 10 measles-associated deaths.

How to protect yourself? The vaccine

An effective, economical and safe vaccine has been available to prevent measles for about 60 years. Today it is found mainly in the combined trivalent form (Mpr, the combination of vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella) or tetravalent (chickenpox is added in addition to measles, mumps and rubella). The cycle consists of two doses: in Italy the first is generally administered between the 12th and 15th month of life, the second between 5 and 6 years. Adolescents and adults who were not immunized as children can also get vaccinated.

Measles vaccination, like all drugs, may have contraindications. Most, however, are mild (injection site reaction, fever, joint pain, rash) and resolve on their own. Overall, experts believe that getting the vaccine is much safer than contracting measles.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the full vaccination course is 97% effective against measles. Statistically three out of one hundred vaccinated people could still contract the virus if exposed. The reasons are not entirely clear: it is possible that the immune system of these people does not react correctly to the vaccination, or that immunity is lost over time. In any case, the infection is milder.

To protect people in whom vaccination is less effective and those who for various reasons cannot be vaccinated or are immunocompromised, it would be necessary for vaccination coverage of the population to reach the threshold of 95%, an objective which, unfortunately, is not yet achieved today. been achieved (according to the latest 2022 update available on EpiCentro – ISS in Italy 93.85% have received the vaccine, but in some Regions and autonomous Provinces only 90%).