BERLIN — The World Health Organization says the number of measles cases in Europe jumped sharply during the first six months of 2018 and at least 37 people have died. The U.N. agency’s European office said Monday more than 41,000 measles cases were reported in the region during the first half of the year — more than in all 12-month periods so far this decade. France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Russia and Serbia also had more than 1,000 measles infections each so far this year. Italy has introduced a new law requiring parents to vaccinate their children against measles and nine other childhood diseases. The U.N. agency on Monday called for better surveillance of the disease and increased immunization rates to prevent measles from becoming endemic.

Source: National Post August 20, 2018 18:22 UTC