World Health: 34,000 cases of measles in Europe this year


The death toll was 13 cases among 34,300 cases in 42 countries in the European region of the World Health Organization, where the virus has led to deaths in rampant Ukraine, as well as in Romania and Albania.
The World Health Organization warned that outbreaks may continue to spread.
"If the outbreak is not dealt with comprehensively and in a timely manner, the virus will make its way towards more pockets of threatened individuals and could extend to other countries both within and outside the region," the WHO said in a statement.
"All opportunities must be exploited to vaccinate children, adolescents and adults at risk."
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to death or cause blindness, deafness or brain damage. It can be prevented by taking two doses of an effective vaccine, but because of the presence of pockets of people who have not received the vaccine, the disease is currently spreading in many parts of the world, including the United States, the Philippines and Thailand.
In Europe, most of the cases are concentrated in Ukraine so far this year, where more than 25,000 people were infected in the first two months of the year.
WHO has called on local health authorities throughout the region to focus on efforts to ensure access to all segments of the populationVaccines.
"The impact on public health will continue until the current outbreaks are brought under control," she said, adding health authorities should "identify those who had previously failed to vaccinate and provide the vaccines needed."
In the United States, federal health officials said on Monday that 60 new measles cases had been reported in the country, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 764 in the country's most widespread outbreak in 25 years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been an 8.5 percent increase in the number of new measles cases since 26April also confirmed that the outbreak has now reached 23 states.