Prof. RNDr. Vanda Boštíková, Ph.D.
Prof. RNDr. Aleš Macela, DrSc.
In the period before measles vaccination, there were about 100 million cases of this highly infectious disease globally each year. An estimated 6 million patients died. In 1998, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a measles eradication programme, but epidemics have returned due to a worldwide decline in vaccination rates, especially in the last decade. Prior to the introduction of routine vaccination in 1969, an average of 50 000 measles cases were reported annually in Czech Republic alone. In recent years, we have seen an increase in cases in Czechia, which, as in other European countries, is mainly related to the introduction of the disease from another territory, when epidemics occur due to incomplete vaccination, or the development of immunity after vaccination.
Anti-vaccination activists falsely blame vaccines for the measles epidemic, advancing a disinformation narrative that was spearheaded by Children’s Health Defense organization, an anti-vaccine group that was led after activist Eric Gladen by today’s US’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., until 2023. This organization is known for its outcry against vaccinations and a number of other public health programs. Its arguments are at odds with the scientific consensus. A post was published on Platform X labeling measles cases from Texas, USA (South Plains area) as a “vaccine-induced epidemic.” As of the end of January 2025, 146 cases have been identified in that state. Twenty patients have been hospitalized. Most of the patients are children between the ages of 5 and 17. There has been one death of a school-aged child (2/26/2025) who lived in the outbreak area. The child was not vaccinated (1, 2). The post generated 245,000 views and 6,400 likes in five days (3, 4).
The claim that the measles epidemic was caused by vaccines is unfounded. HHS said in a statement that its tests found that the infections were not caused by the weakened strain of measles virus used in vaccines. NBC News (credibility rating: 100/100) reported that state tests of samples from infected people in Texas identified a naturally occurring measles virus referred to as genotype D8. Department spokeswoman Lara Anton said the cases are concentrated in a “closed, under-vaccinated” Mennonite religious community (The Associated Press – Credibility rating: 100/100) (5). Given the highly contagious nature of the disease, additional cases are likely to emerge in the outbreak area and surrounding communities. The best way to prevent the disease is to be vaccinated with two doses of the measles vaccine, which is primarily administered as a combination measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective and provide preventive protection against measles.
The WHO European Region, which includes a total of 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, experienced a huge increase in cases of this highly infectious disease in 2024. While 941 cases were confirmed in the region in 2022, 30,434 cases of this infection were reported between January and October 2023 alone. However, only a minimum number of countries in the region are achieving the required two-dose vaccination coverage of more than 95 per cent that is needed to break the chain of transmission. As a result, the World Health Organization expects measles cases to increase further.
In 2024, these caused nearly 21 000 hospital admissions and five deaths in the WHO European Region alone (6). The highest incidence of measles cases in the Czech Republic occurred in 2019, when 590 cases were recorded; in subsequent years, the number of cases dropped to almost zero (2019: 590 cases, 2020: 4 cases, 2021: 0 cases, 2022: 0 cases, 2023: 1 case), but last year, 27 cases were already recorded in January to April period, which is already a very significant rise in measles cases (7). The most at-risk age group is young children, who can have a complicated course. For this reason, misinformation about the emergence of measles after vaccination should be defied, as only vaccination protects children against this unpleasant infection.
Reference
- Measles Outbreak – Feb. 28, 2025 | Texas DSHS
- Measles Cases and Outbreaks | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC
- Anti-vaccine movement falsely blames measles shots for Texas outbreak
- Texas Reports Death of Child Who Tested Positive for Measles, But Releases Few Details • Children’s Health Defense
- A Texas child who was not vaccinated has died of measles, a first for the US in a decade | AP News
- https://www.zdravotnickydenik.cz/2024/01/sireni-spalnicek-je-alarmujici-varuje-who/
- https://www.denik.cz/zdravotnictvi/spalnicky-vyskyt-cesko-ockovani.html
