Surge reported in measles cases across Europe

Recently, the World Health Organization, or WHO, issued a press release stating, "Over 500 measles cases were reported for January 2017 in the WHO European Region."

The vast majority of these—474 cases—have been traced back to seven countries—France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and Ukraine.

But the problem seems particularly serious in Romania and Italy.

The release states that "Romania has reported over 3,400 cases and 17 deaths since January 2016 (as of 10 March 2017). The majority of cases are concentrated in areas where immunization coverage is especially low."

Meanwhile, Italy had 238 reported measles cases in January 2017, and based on preliminary information, the number is expected to repeat or exceed in February; in comparison, the country recorded about 850 total cases of the disease in all of 2016.

Experts recommend that people get vaccinated to prevent such outbreaks. Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, notes, "Outbreaks will continue in Europe, as elsewhere, until every country reaches the level of immunization needed to fully protect their populations."

This threshold has been set at 95 percent or above.

The region's 53 member states have agreed to join together to fight the disease as part of the European Vaccine Action Plan 2015-2020.