With a “national incident” over measles in the UK, what’s the situation in Europe?

Europe is experiencing an “alarming rise” in measles cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday, with a more than 30-fold rise across the region in 2023.

More than 30,000 measles cases were reported by 40 of the WHO European region’s 53 member states between January and October last year, compared to 941 cases in 2022.

The increase in the number of cases is compounded by the hospitalisation of 21,000 people and five measles-related deaths.

  • @chalupapocalypse
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    1211 months ago

    If I have the measles vaccine do I need to worry about this or can I just laugh while nature corrects itself

    • @Reddfugee42
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      11 months ago

      I super understand the urge to laugh but then I think of all the babies, cancer victims, organ transplant recipients, and immunocompromised children who cannot get the vaccine and are now at significantly greater risk than a decade ago thanks to anti science wingnuts.

      • @Whelks_chance
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        911 months ago

        https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0h815h8

        The BBC More or Less podcast looked into it. The problem existed pre COVID and is likely more related to cuts in healthcare funding than anyone being anti vaccines.

        It’s more about access and support.

          • @Whelks_chance
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            611 months ago

            I’m more likely to blame various governments for failing to properly fund the NHS so that outreach programs can support young mothers pre/post giving birth, and providing the information about how and when to vaccinate their kids.

            Otherwise they’re implicitly being told to “so their own research”.

            • @[email protected]
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              111 months ago

              Isn’t cuts to the NHS what the British people voted for with Thatcher and Blair? Idk, not an expert on British politics

          • @chalupapocalypse
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            211 months ago

            I thought Jenny McCarthy was the one who kicked off this bullshit

        • @Misconduct
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          111 months ago

          If I can get this right now, for FREE in the US, then wtf is going on over there guys?!

          • @Whelks_chance
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            111 months ago

            I don’t have personal experience, but it sounds like it is free, but the service is overstretched.

    • @Kage520
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      511 months ago

      Depends on how long it’s been. It was thought the series you got as a child was sufficient, but some people lose their immunity in the ensuing decades. Older people are sometimes getting another dose of their titers are low, but I don’t know the process to get those levels drawn.

      • @[email protected]
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        311 months ago

        Yeah I had to get some titers when I worked in a hospital and my measles immunity had already fallen below acceptable levels after just twenty years.

        Went in, got a booster and a flu shot the same day, done.

    • @anlumo
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      311 months ago

      As with any vaccine, it only lowers the risk of catching it, it doesn’t eliminate it.