Romania Leads EU Measles Cases as Vaccination Rates Plummet

Romania is facing the worst measles crisis in the European Union, with 87% of all EU measles cases reported in the country in 2024, according to multiple verified reports. The outbreak has resulted in more than 35,000 cases and at least 30 deaths between 2023 and 2025, most of them infants too young to be vaccinated who were infected by older, unvaccinated children.

The crisis stems from a significant decline in vaccination rates, particularly for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. While the first dose of the MMR vaccine is recommended between 14 and 18 months of age, coverage only reaches 81% by later childhood, falling well short of the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity. Uptake of the second dose, typically administered at age five, is just over 60% nationally and as low as 20% in some communities, according to Romania’s National Institute of Public Health.

Dr. Mirela Csabai, a general practitioner serving a population of over 30,000 in the Transylvanian town of Săcele, warned that the situation remains precarious. “As long as vaccination rates remain low, it’s a powder keg,” she said. “Once an epidemic starts, It’s already too late to vaccinate. We need to act now.” Her clinic regularly sees parents and children waiting for care, though the immediate pressure has eased compared to the peak of the 2024 outbreak.

Romania has experienced four measles epidemics since 2005, each separated by only a few years of fragile calm. The country’s MMR vaccination rate, which once stood above the European average of 93% in 2010, has been declining ever since, with the drop accelerating after the COVID-19 pandemic. Current data shows that only two-thirds of Romanians are fully vaccinated against measles, the lowest rate in the European Union.

Health officials emphasize that measles can cause severe complications, especially in young children, including pneumonia and, in rare cases, encephalitis. Most fatalities in the recent outbreak have occurred among infants who were too young to receive the vaccine but were exposed to the virus through contact with unvaccinated older children.

While initial tallies for 2025 show a significant decrease in cases compared to the previous year, experts caution that measles tends to come in waves. The current decline does not signal the end of the threat, particularly given persistent gaps in vaccine coverage across certain communities and regions.