Measles, cases increase in Italy in 2024

The Italian ‘National Epidemiological Surveillance Service for Measles and Rubella’ reported 1045 measles cases in Italy in 2024, with 90 percent of those affected unvaccinated. It represents a significant increase from the 15 cases reported in 2022 and the 43 cases reported in 2023, suggesting an exponential growth in cases since 2022. While this increase in cases is a widespread trend that is being seen throughout Europe, it is a cause for concern for health authorities, as measles can be particularly dangerous for children but also lead to serious complications, including hepatitis and pneumonia, for adults. The most affected age group is those between 0 and 4 years of age; however, the average age of unvaccinated individuals who contracted measles was 30 years. In 2024, 18 regions reported cases, of which eight (namely Lombardy, Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily, Campania, Tuscany, Abruzzo, and Liguria) reported a total of 85.1% of cases (corresponding to 889 cases out of a total of 1,045). The autonomous province of Bolzano reported the highest incidence (67.0/million inhabitants), followed by Sicily (37.3/million), Abruzzo (37.0/million), Lazio (35.0/million), Emilia-Romagna (31.6/million) and Liguria (29.2/million). According to Anna Teresa Palamara, who heads the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), the vaccine remains the primary means of combating the disease.