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Diari de Catalunya

WHO withdraws Spain's measles-free status after 10 years

The international body confirms the re-establishment of endemic transmission of the infectious disease due to declining vaccination coverage.

Generic image of a health center or a syringe, symbolizing vaccination and the prevention of infectious diseases.
IA

Generic image of a health center or a syringe, symbolizing vaccination and the prevention of infectious diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has withdrawn Spain's status as a measles-free country, an infectious disease considered eliminated for 10 years, following the confirmation of re-established endemic transmission in 2024.

The World Health Organization (WHO), through the European Regional Verification Committee (CRV), notified the Ministry of Health of the decision after evaluating epidemiological and laboratory data from 2024. This assessment confirms that the disease has returned to circulate indigenously in Spanish territory.
The increase in cases has been very significant. In Spain, cases rose from 14 in 2023 to 227 in 2024, and the figure climbed to 397 in 2025. In Catalonia, the trend is similar, with 34 cases in 2024 and 80 in 2025.
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"It was expected. We have to make a significant effort to increase vaccination coverage. It is the only means available to control measles."

Fernando Moraga-Llop · Spokesperson for the Spanish Vaccinology Association
The drop in vaccination coverage is a key factor. In 2024, the coverage of the second dose of the MMR vaccine in Spain was 91.7%, below the 95% threshold that the WHO considers necessary to keep measles controlled.
Experts such as epidemiologist Joan Caylà point out that this resurgence is due to the halt in systematic vaccination caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the influence of anti-vaccine movements and the rise of misinformation.
The Ministry of Health, facing this situation, is working on updating the Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Measles and Rubella to reinforce immunization. Spain joins other European nations such as the United Kingdom, Austria, and Armenia that have also lost their elimination status.

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