A measles epidemic is inevitable: Bassetti's prophecy

A measles epidemic is inevitable.
This is the prophecy of Matteo Bassetti – the popular infectious disease specialist who rose to prominence during the dark period of the Covid pandemic – pronounced during the last weekly press point on healthcare in the Liguria Region.
“The data tells us that it is inevitable that, sooner or later, a measles epidemic will arrive – declared Bassetti -.
Cases are rising rapidly around the world.
In Europe alone, 30,000 were recorded last year, with 21,000 hospitalizations.
The increase in cases took off between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.
The most significant increases were recorded in Austria and Romania”.
The increase in measles cases in Europe and in the rest of the world would be due to less vaccination, with the director of the infectious diseases clinic at the San Martino hospital in Genoa wanting to underline how "in Italy it was the measles that were most affected range between 15 and 30 years".
Consequently "we need to be prepared and verify the possibility of offering these people the complete vaccination course" as measles "is a serious, very contagious disease".
read also Measles alarm, there is a boom in cases: symptoms, vaccine and risks for adults Why we risk a measles epidemic Measles is an infectious disease caused by a virus of the morbillivirus genus and is generally also defined as a childhood disease seen which usually affects children between 1 and 3 years old.
In Italy the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) is recommended for all children between 12 and 15 months of age.
In April 2023, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control in its annual report on measles stated that in Italy in 2022 vaccination coverage for this disease was 92% of the population for the first dose and 86% for the second, down respectively by 1 and 3% compared to 2018.
In essence, as regards measles, our country is currently below the threshold of optimal vaccine coverage which is at least 95% with two doses and homogeneous throughout the territory.
The latest data show that measles has mainly affected adolescents and children and not children, with 93% of the total cases recorded not being vaccinated.
Hence Matteo Bassetti's alarm.
“In 2024, 27 cases were reported in seven regions, with an average age of 35 years – explained Bassetti -.
In all of last year there were 43, with 26% having complications and 93% of cases among the unvaccinated.
We consider that one person can infect between 12 and 18 unprotected people.
Here it becomes essential to ensure the complete vaccination cycle and preparation in the 15-30 age group, since with the second vaccination dose the coverage of complications reaches 99%".
The Covid pandemic would have brought – paradoxically – a decrease in vaccinations throughout the world also with regards to measles, with the infectious disease specialist calling for an awareness campaign for those in the 15-30 age group who have not had the vaccine.