The Czech Society for Vaccinology (CVS) reported that measles cases have resurfaced in the Czech Republic: four recorded since January and one in December last year. All cases occurred in unvaccinated people. This comes after a general absence of cases for two years.
Despite mandatory vaccination efforts in the Czech Republic, vaccination coverage has dwindled. Overall vaccination rates against diseases have declined from 94.1 percent in 2010 to 88.4 percent in 2020, primarily due to parental reluctance – especially among those with higher education levels.
Jaroslava Marhanová of the National Research Institute on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Diseases and Systemic Risks attributed the hesitancy to a variety of factors, adding considerations about the protection and efficacy of vaccines, as well as misinformation perpetrated through social media. the need for depolarization efforts to foster constructive debate and build confidence in immunization.
Measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when an inflamed user coughs or sneezes. Its contagiousness is such that if a user has it, nine out of ten people of all ages around the inflamed user will also become inflamed if they are not protected. . Adults can also get measles.
“Measles is not a forgotten threat. In 2023, the number of measles cases in Europe and Central Asia increased by 3,000% compared to 2022,” CVS President Roman Chlíbek said on social media X. He noted that an increase in cases was also reported in the Czech Republic’s neighboring countries. Austria with 172, Germany with 72 and Poland with 32.
Marhanová highlighted the importance of communication skills among fitness professionals and adapted methods for good interaction with parents, adding through social media. She, under pressure, wanted to adapt the dissemination of data to meet the desires of the younger generation.
However, there is a glimmer of hope as the number of MMR vaccines administered increases, unlike measles, rubella and mumps. Data from the Institute of Health Information and Statistics indicate a slow increase in MMR vaccinations.
This is not the first time Czechia has battled against measles mini-outbreaks. In 2019, the country registered almost 600 cases alone. However, the arrival of Covid-19 (and subsequent social-distancing measures and lockdowns) reduced the total case number to less than 10.
Czech doctors and hospitals administer the first dose of the measles vaccine when the child is between 12 and 15 months old. This is provided through public health insurance.
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