Greece to take action against measles threat with targeted vaccinations

The National Organization for Public Health (EODY) in Greece is preparing a plan to prevent a potential measles epidemic through targeted vaccinations.

While Greece hasn’t reported measles cases recently, concerns arise due to a European surge in 2023 and a historical pattern every 5-6 years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) notes a significant vaccination gap in Europe resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic where vaccination schedules were disrupted, with a decline in coverage from 96% in 2019 to 93% in 2022 for the first dose and from 92% to 91% for the second dose. It is estimated that more than 1.8 million infants across Europe missed out on measles vaccination between 2020 and 2022.

EODY identifies a need for urgent measures to counteract the trend. Greece, having experienced three measles epidemics in 2005-2006, 2010-2011, and 2017-2018, with the majority of cases among unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals, is preparing an intervention plan that will focus on vaccinating at-risk populations, such as the Roma, and people in areas with low vaccination rates.

Experts say that in order to reach the elimination target, a 95% vaccination coverage is required.

Speaking to Kathimerini, Panhellenic Federation of Freelance Pediatricians President Kostas Daloukas, pointed out the high transmissibility of measles, comparing it to Covid-19’s lower transmission rate.

“If a measles patient enters a room of 10 people, 8-9 people will get infected. If a patient has Covid-19, three would get it,” he said.

Study on 2017-2018 epidemic

A study conducted after the 2017-2018 outbreak found an overall 90% immunity against measles in Greece. Individuals aged 41 years and older exhibited the highest immunity rates, reaching 95%, compared to 83.4% in individuals aged one to 40 years.

During the 2017-2018 epidemic, the study found, the two regions with the highest incidence of measles cases, namely Eastern Macedonia-Thrace and Western Greece, also recorded among the lowest immunity rates, standing at 84.6% and 85.9%, respectively.