Roma at high risk of measles due to low vacination rates

More than 700 cases of measles have been registered at hospitals across the country, mainly in Attica, since May this year, according to the latest data released by health authorities. 

Over half of the people who contracted the virus needed hospital treatment. Tellingly, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in its monthly report that 450 cases of measles were registered in October, of which 167 were in Greece. 

The data reveal that Roma comprise the most vulnerable group, accounting for more than 70 percent of cases. Doctors, medics and ambulance staff are also considered a vulnerable group. 

“The epidemic continues to concern special population groups, such as the Roma, who have low rates of vaccination, and health professionals,” Sotiris Tsiodras, a professor at the University of Athens’s Department of Medicine, told Kathimerini.