Measles epidemics

The Democratic Republic of the Congo set out to vaccinate more than 800,000 children in September in order to curtail what the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling this year’s largest measles outbreak. During the current outbreak, more than 3,500 people have died of measles complications, more than have died of ebola in the country this year.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the countries of Albania, Czechia, Greece and the UK have lost their measles-free status with WHO. Countries are considered to be measles-free if there have been no endemic (native) transmissions of measles within 12 months.