Health authorities in southern Spain have warned of further measles outbreaks in the coming weeks, citing the warmer weather and an explosion of cases in neighbour Morocco.
It comes as two new outbreaks have been declared in the provinces of Huelva and Almeria, bringing the total in Andalucia so far this year to nine.
Seven of these outbreaks remain active and there have been 56 confirmed cases of the disease.
Malaga has been the hardest hit with a total of 32 cases of measles, the majority of which (19), are along the Costa del Sol, a popular destination for British expats and tourists.
Health authorities have been forced to act and have strengthened the Measles Surveillance and Alert Protocol.
Next week, the Ministry of Health at the Junta de Andalucia will begin administering the second dose of the MMR vaccine to 15-month-old infants.
These vaccines will be rolled out in the areas affected by the outbreaks. The second MMR dose is typically given at the age of three, but health authorities hope bringing it forward will bolster protection among children in the region.
The outbreaks have come despite Andalucia having a vaccination rate of more than 95%.
According to statistics from the Junta de Andalucia, almost a third (27%) of cases this year have been imported from abroad.
Most of the imported cases have come from Morocco (13), with a few isolated cases from Belgium and Denmark.
The majority of the affected (59%) are adults aged between 18 and 65, while 41% are children under 15.
Crucially, only two have received any measles vaccinations. Both of these received one dose instead of the recommended two.
Some 28 were confirmed as unvaccinated while 26 could not have their vaccination status determined.
Almost half of the infected (41%) had to be hospitalised, while four developed pneumonia.
The latest outbreak in El Ejido, Almeria, was detected in workers from Morocco, while the cases in Lucena del Puerto in Huelva were among a family of Moroccan origin.
Other active outbreaks are located between Huelva, Malaga, Sevilla and Granda.
The Junta de Andalucia said in a statement: ‘Measles is an easily transmitted infection, can be severe, and can affect both unvaccinated children and adults.
‘For this reason, the Ministry of Health recommends vaccinating minors according to established schedules and adults who are not yet vaccinated to protect those who cannot be vaccinated (children under 12 months of age, who represent 14% of reported cases in Andalucia).
‘The epidemiological situation surrounding Andalucia, particularly Morocco, which has been experiencing a major measles outbreak since October 2023 and has spread throughout the country, with more than 40,000 reported cases, including 150 deaths; as well as the presence of potentially significant pockets of susceptibility in some districts and the seasonality of measles (spring), suggest further outbreaks in the coming weeks and months.’
