Summer mass events prompt EU call for measles vaccination

Summer mass events have the potential to quickly spread infectious diseases – especially measles – due to the large number of people, from many different countries, all meeting in the same space and time. This summer sees several mass gatherings throughout the European Union (EU), e.g. World Youth Day is anticipated to bring together over 350,000 teenages and young people from around the world. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) monitors the European and Global situation regarding Communicable Diseases to identify at an early stage any events that pose a risk to the public health of EU citizens. Measles is of particular interest in the context of mass gatherings. Up to 15 June 2011, more than 12,000 cases of measles have been identified by ECDC in the EU and EEA/EFTA countries through epidemic intelligence activities. The data has been acquired from publicly available information from the World Health Organization...