Despite the increasing number of cases: The federal government does not currently expect a major measles epidemic

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“The current measles vaccination rate in Switzerland should prevent a major epidemic,” explains BAG media spokesperson Daniel Dauwwalder of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). In Switzerland, the vaccination rate for small children against measles is 94 percent.

According to the BAG bulletin published on Monday, twelve cases of measles were recorded in Switzerland in the first five weeks of the current year. In the same period last year, there were only four cases and in the entire year of 2023, 40 infections were recorded.

The numbers are rising again

Since 2023, there has been an increase in the number of measles cases again in many cases, including in Switzerland, Dauwwalder explains. Previously, measures against the corona pandemic had also significantly reduced the spread of measles in Europe and Switzerland.

In 2021, not a single case of measles was recorded in Switzerland. Last year’s forty cases correspond to a level also seen in the years before the corona pandemic, the BAG spokesperson said. These often involved sporadic cases where someone became infected abroad – or smaller outbreaks after the pathogen was introduced into Switzerland.

According to the information, the twelve cases since the beginning of this year also include an outbreak on the campus of the Lausanne Hotel Management School. On February 2, Vaud authorities ordered the school closed until next Sunday. This came after six students had measles since mid-January and about 20 other students had symptoms.

In recent weeks, measles outbreaks in Germany have made headlines, including one in Cologne. In Austria, there have been 55 confirmed cases of measles in six states since the start of the year, according to the Austrian Broadcasting Organization (ORF). This after 186 cases were reported in 2023. According to the ORF radio program “Ö1-Morgenjournal”, the vaccination rate among small children is between 80 and 90 percent, which is lower than in Switzerland. (SDA)

Source:Blick