Measles: paediatricians sound the alarm – one infected person can infect 17 others
Experts warn of immunity ‘gaps’ that put very young children and vulnerable groups at risk
Key points
From the Ministry of Health’s latest ‘shock’ circular to the alarm raised by paediatricians who, whether in the communities where they see families or in hospitals where they treat inpatients, are seeing cases rise. Measles – on which the Italian regions appear to be ‘falling behind’ with regard to the second dose, which is by no means superfluous – continues to be a talking point. Paediatricians are once again highlighting the risk of transmission – up to 17 people per infected individual – and the serious effects of the disease. The Italian Paediatric Society (SIP) therefore joins the Ministry of Health in calling for a step-up in catch-up vaccination and the completion of incomplete vaccination courses, with particular attention to unvaccinated young adults.In a scenario where Italia as a whole remains below the 95 per cent threshold set by the World Health Organisation even for the first dose, the second dose appears to be treated as ‘optional’, to the extent that the country’s overall coverage stands at just 84.45 per cent. This vaccination shortfall is reflected in the number of cases: in the first five months of 2025 alone, compared with 2026, based on cases reported to the Premal system, there has been a particularly marked increase, especially in Campania, Calabria, Lazio and Tuscany. Campania saw reported cases rise from 18 to 100; Calabria rose from 17 to 265 reported cases; Lazio rose from 47 reported cases in 2025 to 54 reported cases in 2026; Tuscany recorded 49 reported cases this year, whilst in the same period of 2025 it reported a total of 6 cases of measles.
One infected person can pass it on to as many as 17 others
Yet, as doctors from the Italian Paediatric Society (SIP) warn, a person with measles can infect up to 17 others. It is precisely the virus’s extremely high contagiousness that explains why, when it comes to measles, simply ‘high’ vaccination coverage is not enough: at least 95 per cent of every single birth cohort must be vaccinated with two doses and this level must be maintained.
The Italian Paediatric Society (SIP) has drawn attention to the issue following the Ministry of Health’s new circular on the epidemiological trends of measles and the measures required to strengthen its control. The main weakness at present is the completion of the vaccination course: national coverage with the second dose, scheduled under the vaccination programme for children aged 5–6, stands at 84.45 per cent, and no region or autonomous province has reached 95 per cent.
The second dose ‘counts’
“This figure tells us that we have significant scope for improvement. The second dose is not a mere formality: it is an integral part of the vaccination programme and also serves to protect the approximately 5 per cent of people who did not develop an immune response after the first dose,’ explains Rocco Russo, head of the Technical Committee on Vaccinations at the Italian Paediatric Society, noting that, according to ECDC data, Italia is the EU country with the highest number of measles cases: 630 recorded between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 out of a total of 2,472.
“For such a highly contagious disease, it is therefore not enough to have received the first dose: it is essential to complete the course of vaccination and promptly catch up those who have fallen behind, in order to ensure a high level of vaccination coverage across all age groups,” adds Russo.
