Measles - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018

In 2018, 17 822 cases of measles were reported by 29 EU/EEA Member States.

The overall notification rate was 34.4 cases per 1 000 000 population, similar to that reported in 2017 (35.5 cases) but much higher than the rates in 2014–2016 (7.1–9.0). Only one country (Iceland) reported no measles cases during the year. There were 37 reported deaths due to measles (case–fatality 0.2%), and over two-thirds of cases with data available for these outcomes were hospitalised or suffered complications. Age-specific notification rates decreased with increasing age, with unvaccinated children <1 years and aged 1–4 years most affected, while adults aged 20 years and above accounted for 36% of cases.

For the measles elimination goal to be reached, many countries need to make sustained improvements in the coverage of their routine childhood immunisation programmes and close immunity gaps in adolescents and adults who have missed vaccination opportunities in the past.