Swiss measles outbreak concerns health experts

Measles is on the rise in Switzerland with 87 cases of the infectious disease registered so far in 2024. This compares to just 23 cases throughout last year and zero occurrences in 2022 and 2021. Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here. Since June 2023, there have been 103 cases, according to the bulletin published by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) on Monday. In the same period last year, there were only 27. The government did not expect a major epidemic because the high vaccination rate should prevent this. According to information from February, the vaccination rate for young children is 94%. The FOPH assumes that the cases often involve people who were infected abroad or smaller outbreaks in which the pathogen was introduced into Switzerland. With this increase, Switzerland is part of a global development. The World Health Organization (WHO) expects the number of measles infections to remain high in 2024. According to the latest data, the WHO ...