Disease Surging 45 Times in Europe Has Arrived in Korea... Rash and Fever Should Raise Suspicion

Measles Outbreak in Europe... Imported Cases Occur Domestically
Due to Decreased Measles Vaccination During COVID-19 Period

Last year, the number of measles patients in Europe increased 45-fold, prompting a global "measles alert." In response, health authorities have initiated proactive surveillance to prevent community spread.

According to the medical community on the 31st, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) recently sent a cooperation letter to hospitals and clinics requesting enhanced monitoring of suspected measles patients, considering factors such as the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, increased overseas travel during the Lunar New Year holiday, and school reopening.

The KDCA asked medical staff to check for overseas travel history during patient consultations and to suspect measles and conduct diagnostic tests if patients arriving from abroad exhibit rash or fever. They also urged that suspected patients be reported to the local public health center after diagnostic testing.

[Image source=Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Measles Response Guidelines]

The KDCA explained that this proactive measure was taken in response to the global measles outbreak and the occurrence of measles patients in Korea due to overseas importation. Since the beginning of this month, one measles patient imported from abroad has been reported domestically, and all eight cases reported last year were imported from overseas.

Measles, classified as a second-class legally designated infectious disease, is an acute exanthematous viral illness with very high contagiousness. Early symptoms resemble a cold, including cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis, followed by high fever and rash starting on the face and spreading over the entire body.

The measles virus is characterized by extremely strong infectivity. The basic reproduction number (the number of people one infected person can infect secondarily) ranges from 12 to 18. More than 90% of people with insufficient immunity become infected upon contact with a patient.

Recently, measles cases have been continuously occurring, mainly in Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes this to a decline in measles vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to WHO, the number of reported measles cases in the European region last year was 42,200, 45 times higher than the 941 cases in 2022. Among these, 20,918 people were hospitalized for measles from January to October last year, and five deaths related to measles occurred in two countries.