LONDON — Cases of measles, which appeared headed toward elimination in Europe, have soared this year, reaching their highest level in two decades across the continent as vaccination rates fall short, the World Health Organization reported on Monday. Until the 1990s, there were hundreds of thousands of measles cases in Europe every year, but aggressive vaccination programs pushed that steadily downward, to a record low of 5,273 in 2016. But in Europe, only about 90 percent of children receive the recommended two-dose vaccine in early childhood as recommended, the W.H.O. said, and last year, only Russia and a handful of small countries reached the 95 percent mark in young children. And in many countries, vaccination rates for young children have actually declined somewhat in recent years.

Source: New York Times August 20, 2018 19:56 UTC