Holidaymakers are warned of a rise in measles in Europe as cases reach a 10-year high with more than 82,000 taken ill Some 82,596 people in 47 of 53 countries contracted measles last year This is 15 times the number for 2016 when measles cases hit a record low The number of measles cases across Europe hit a ten-year high last year More children in Europe are being vaccinated against measles than ever before By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 22:02 GMT, 7 February 2019 | Updated: 09:01 GMT, 8 February 2019 860 shares 20 Viewcomments The number of people contracting measles in 2018 across Europe was the highest number for a decade, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. While more children in Europe are being vaccinated against measles than ever before, progress has been 'uneven' between countries and individual countries have some patches where vaccine take-up is low, it said. Some 82,596 people in 47 of 53 countries contracted measles, the highest number this decade and three times the figure in 2017. While record numbers are being vaccinated in Europe, progress in closing gaps 'will be insufficient to stop measles circulation', the WHO warned [File photo] It is also 15 times a record low recorded in 2016. A total of 72 children and adults died in 2018 following infection, the WHO said. In England and Wales, Public Health England (PHE) data shows there were 913 cases of measles between January and October 2018 – the most recent data available. Two adults died from measles in 2017 in the UK. One was an immunosuppressed man who had caught measles abroad three years earlier, while the other was a woman who acquired her infection in the UK. No UK deaths were reported in 2018. Ukraine reported the highest number of measles cases last year across Europe, while more than 90 per cent of cases were in 10 countries, including France, Italy and Greece. Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, said: 'The picture for 2018 makes it clear that the current pace of progress in raising immunisation rates will be insufficient to stop measles circulation. 'While data indicate exceptionally high immunisation coverage at regional level, they also reflect a record number affected and killed by the disease. The World Health Organisation said 82,596 contracted the disease – three times the total for 2017 and 15 times 2016's record low [File photo] WHAT IS MEASLES, WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS AND HOW CAN YOU CATCH IT? Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads easily from an injected person by coughing, sneezing or even just breathing. Symptoms develop between six and 19 days after infection, and include a runny nose, cough, sore eyes, a fever and a rash. The rash appears as red and blotchy marks on the hairline that travel down over several days, turning brown and eventually fading. Some children complain of disliking bright lights or develop white spots with red backgrounds on their tongue. In one in 15 cases, measles can cause life-threatening complications including pneumonia, convulsions and encephalitis. Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society told MailOnline: 'Measles can be very serious. '[It] can cause encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain. 'Encephalitis can result in death or disability.' Treatment focuses on staying hydrated, resting and taking painkillers, if necessary. Measles can be prevented by receiving two vaccinations, the first at 13 months old and the second at three years and four months to five years old. Source: Great Ormond Street Hospital WHERE THE MOST CASES RECORDED IN EUROPE IN 2018? Ukraine: 53,218 Serbia: 5,076 Israel: 2,919 France: 2,913 Italy: 2,517 Russian Federation: 2,256 Georgia: 2,203 Greece: 2,193 Albania: 1,466 Romania: 1,087 'This means that gaps at local level still offer an open door to the virus.' The 2018 surge in measles cases followed a year when European countries achieved their highest ever estimated coverage for the second dose of the measles vaccination – 90 per cent – the WHO said. Some 95 per cent of children received the first dose of the vaccine. Ukraine had the most cases, with a total of 72 dying from the illness across Europe. The most recent data for England and Wales shows 913 cases between January and October 2018. While record numbers are being vaccinated in Europe, progress in closing gaps 'will be insufficient to stop measles circulation', the WHO warned. In a warning to holidaymakers, Public Health England said: 'We often think about what travel-related vaccines we might need but it’s also important to check that we are up to date with routine vaccinations like MMR.' HOW MANY CASES OF MEASLES WERE RECORDED ACROSS EUROPE IN 2018? COUNTRY POPULATION CASES OF MEASLES Albania 2,934,363 1,466 Andorra 76,953 0 Armenia 2,934,152 19 Austria 8,751,820 77 Azerbaijan 9,923,914 71 Belarus 9,452,113 235 Belgium 11,498,519 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,503,554 89 Bulgaria 7,036,848 13 Croatia 4,161,783 23 Cyprus 1,189,085 14 Czech Republic 10,625,250 199 Denmark 5,754,356 8 Estonia 1,306,788 10 Finland 5,542,517 15 France 65,233,271 2,913 Georgia 3,907,131 2,203 Germany 82,293,457 532 Greece 11,142,161 2,193 Hungary 9,688,847 14 Iceland 337,780 0 Ireland 4,803,748 90 Israel 8,452,841 2,919 Italy 59,290,969 2,517 Kazakhstan 18,403,860 576 Kyrgyzstan 6,132,932 1,008 Latvia 1,929,938 20 Lithuania 2,876,475 30 Luxembourg 590,321 4 Malta 432,089 5 Monaco 38,897 0 Montenegro 629,219 203 Netherlands 17,084,459 24 Norway 5,353,363 12 Poland 38,104,832 335 Portugal 10,291,196 171 Republic of Moldova 4,041,065 340 Romania 19,580,634 1,087 Russian Federation 143,964,709 2,256 San Marino 33,557 0 Serbia 8,762,027 5,076 Slovakia 5,449,816 572 Slovenia 2,081,260 9 Spain 46,397,452 225 Sweden 9,982,709 38 Switzerland 8,544,034 51 Tajikistan 9,107,211 0 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2,085,051 64 Turkey 81,916,871 557 Turkmenistan 5,851,466 0 Ukraine 44,009,214 53,218 United Kingdom 66,573,504 953 Uzbekistan 32,364,996 22 IS ANDREW WAKEFIELD'S DISCREDITED AUTISM RESEARCH TO BLAME FOR LOW MEASLES VACCINATION RATES? Andrew Wakefield's discredited autism research has long been blamed for a drop in measles vaccination rates In 1995, gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield published a study in The Lancet showing children who had been vaccinated against MMR were more likely to have bowel disease and autism. He speculated that being injected with a 'dead' form of the measles virus via vaccination causes disruption to intestinal tissue, leading to both of the disorders. After a 1998 paper further confirmed this finding, Wakefield said: 'The risk of this particular syndrome [what Wakefield termed 'autistic enterocolitis'] developing is related to the combined vaccine, the MMR, rather than the single vaccines.' At the time, Wakefield had a patent for single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, and was therefore accused of having a conflict of interest. Nonetheless, MMR vaccination rates in the US and the UK plummeted, until, in 2004 the then-editor of The Lancet Dr Richard Horton described Wakefield's research as 'fundamentally flawed', adding he was paid by attorneys seeking lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers. The Lancet formally retracted Wakefield's research paper in 2010. Three months later, the General Medical Council banned Wakefield from practicing medicine in Britain, stating his research had shown a 'callous disregard' for children's health. On January 6 2011, The British Medical Journal published a report showing that of the 12 children included in Wakefield's 1995 study, at most two had autistic symptoms post vaccination, rather than the eight he claimed. At least two of the children also had developmental delays before they were vaccinated, yet Wakefield's paper claimed they were all 'previously normal'. Further findings revealed none of the children had autism, non-specific colitis or symptoms within days of receiving the MMR vaccine, yet the study claimed six of the participants suffered all three. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility