Measles

The Health Ministry has set up a task force to increase the number of people getting vaccinated against measles, and is preparing an information and vaccination campaign in regions with low inoculation rates, following an outbreak in Romania, and other European countries.

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.

Serbian epidemiologists warn that, due to the decreasing number of vaccinated children, it is a matter of days when we will have another epidemic in Serbia.
According to the WHO, more than 42,000 infected people were registered in Europe in 2023, while there were 941 a year earlier, which is why they requested urgent measures to prevent further spread.

Amid concerns over measles outbreaks in neighboring countries, Bulgaria's Chief State Health Inspector, Angel Kunchev, highlighted the risk of measles spreading due to incomplete vaccination coverage.

In order to prevent any epidemics, a research study by a group of infectious diseases and public health experts has cautioned that the fight against mosquitoes in the earthquake-affected areas should be carried out extremely thoroughly, especially in high-risk areas for malaria, such as Adana and Mersin provinces.

Some 86 percent of measles cases in the country have been recorded in Istanbul, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, reiterating that though the number of cases is increasing, it is not at an epidemic level.

Following a large-scale study conducted on the COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in Türkiye, experts have stressed that some 58 percent of individuals who developed serious illnesses were unvaccinated.

The results of one of the largest studies in the country showing the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine were announced.

Amid rising concerns over increasing measles cases in the country, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has refuted recent media reports claiming deaths resulting from measles in the country, stating that the allegations are baseless and do not reflect the truth.

Alamy Photo

Istanbul hospitals have recently been faced with an alarming increase in measles cases amid the rising anti-vaccination movements, while if the measles vaccination rates fall below 95 percent, an epidemic might outbreak, an expert has warned.

The new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bulgaria for the last 24 hours are 173, according to the data of the Unified Information Portal.

2,941 tests were performed, which means that the proportion of positive results is 5.88 percent.

Three patients with confirmed coronavirus infection have died.