Romania reports 1700 measles cases in past month
Nationwide measles epidemic declared in early December 2023
The Romania Ministry of Health has reported 1,737 additional measles cases in the past month—from 2,942 on January 9 to 4,679 on February 6—including 6 deaths.
The 4,679 confirmed cases of measles were reported in 39 counties and in the city of Bucharest since 2023.
The highest incidence is reported in Braşov (173.15 cases per 100,000 population) and Mureş counties (167.87 cases per 100,000 population).
On December 5, 2023, the Ministry of Health declared a nationwide measles epidemic when nearly 2,000 measles cases were reported.
The goal of the emergency declaration was to make it possible to vaccinate children between the ages of 9 and 11 months, as well as the recovery of those unvaccinated or with an incomplete vaccination schedule.
The vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated individuals (85.6%). Children below 9 years of age account for 71.4% of the total cases, including 615 children under one year of age (13.1%).
In addition, the Ministry of Health started an information campaign for parents, together with family doctors, for better adherence to the vaccination program.
At the national level, vaccination coverage with the first dose is 78%, and with the second dose, 62% of eligible children, being on a downward trend for more than 10 years.