Measles doubling in one month: experts warn to vaccinate before the holidays

From 37 cases in April to 65 reported in May: measles in one month "doubles" continuing the upward trend. Which is all the more worrying in view of the summer holidays. Because travel is one of the main vehicles, so much so that 20% of the 334 cases - almost 90% of which in unvaccinated people - reported since the beginning of 2025 have been associated with international travel, thanks to the many 'bridges' in this first half of the year, a figure that is up from 18% in the previous period.

Launching the warning to get vaccinated before leaving for the holidays is the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in the light of the trends of recent months and the June bulletin on measles and rubella, which reports on the results of surveillance coordinated by the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Iss with the contribution of the national network of regional laboratories.

Vaccination status is known for 313 of the 334 cases reported in 2025, and in 275 cases (almost 90%) the affected persons were unvaccinated, explain the Iss. In about a third of the cases, 108, at least one complication was reported: among the most frequent were hepatitis or increased transaminases and pneumonia, but keratoconjunctivitis, diarrhoea, respiratory failure, stomatitis, thrombocytopenia, laryngotracheobronchitis, otitis, and convulsions also occurred. Three cases of encephalitis were reported, respectively in two adults and one pre-adolescent, all unvaccinated.

The experts' appeal is therefore to 'check your measles vaccination status before embarking on any trip abroad. In fact, almost 80% of cases occur in people aged 15 years and over, most of whom are unvaccinated or have only had one dose. And children are also to be protected: the most affected age group, in terms of incidence, remains the under-fives, who are also particularly vulnerable to short- and long-term measles complications. But cases also continue to be reported among infants, for whom, as the experts point out, 'protection depends on a high level of immunity in the population, given that the recommended age for administration of the first dose of the Mpr vaccine is 12 months'.

Define a shared roadmap and manifesto to strengthen the fight against the papilloma virus (Hpv) in Europe, which still shows vaccination coverage far short of the 2030 WHO target of 90%, with figures in 2023 standing at 36% among 15-year-old girls and 24% among boys.