Number of measles cases increased again in January; no national outbreak yet

The number of measles infections is increasing again. The disease was found in 23 people in January, while there was only one case in January last year and zero in January 2023. The number of infections is also higher than in November and December. According to the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), there is currently no nationwide outbreak.

The number of infections in January is the highest it has been since the summer, and another three cases were discovered in the first few days of February. This puts this year’s total of cases at 26. Amsterdam has the relatively highest number of cases.

The RIVM reported that most patients were infected with measles when visiting Morocco or Romania. There are major epidemics of measles in those countries.

Measles is a severely contagious disease. Most Dutch citizens are protected from the disease through vaccinations. In groups where no one has been vaccinated, one sick person infects an average of 15 other people.

The virus generally causes symptoms like a fever, sneezing, coughing, and eye infections. This is followed by marks on the skin. Although the disease is usually relatively mild, there are also regularly complications. For example, one to five percent of the people infected suffer from a long infection and one in the thousand suffer from meningitis. These are complications that can lead to death.