Risk assessment: Who is at risk of measles in the EU/EEA?
A large epidemic of measles has affected the EU/EEA Member States in the past three years, with 44 074 cases reported to ECDC by 30 Member States between 1 January 2016 and 31 March 2019. ECDC has assessed the epidemiological profile, proportion of susceptible individuals and vaccination coverage data for measles from each Member State. Based on ECDC’s assessment, there is a high risk of continued widespread circulation of measles in EU/EEA in the near future. Measles is a serious cross-border threat to health in the EU/EEA, even though most Member States are deemed to have interrupted endemic transmission. Re-establishment of transmission in these Member States is possible when vaccination coverage is suboptimal and immunity gaps remain.