Overview
- WHO’s European Region recorded about 34,000 measles cases in 2025, roughly a 75% year‑over‑year decline from 2024.
- The agency cautions that transmission will continue until countries reach 95% two‑dose MMR coverage to prevent outbreaks.
- Major outbreaks persist in North America—Mexico (>7,000 cases, 24 deaths), Canada (>5,500, two deaths) and the U.S. (>2,400, three deaths)—heightening cross‑border risk ahead of the football World Cup.
- Germany’s cases fell from 645 in 2024 to 232–233 in 2025, with early‑2026 counts below the prior period, yet second‑dose coverage still fails to meet the WHO target.
- WHO attributes the regional fall to intensified control measures and infection‑acquired immunity in unvaccinated groups, while countries including Spain, the UK and Austria have lost measles‑free status.