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Measles outbreak hits Europe after vaccination rate drops

There’s a spike in measles cases in parts of Europe and Britain due to a drop in the vaccination rate. Even a slight dip in the vaccination rate can lead to an outbreak.

The trend began in 2023, when there was a 45-fold increase in reported measles cases in Europe, compared to the year before, according to the World Health Organization.

Host Scott Tong talks to Dr. Andrew Pollard,  a pediatrician, professor of infection and immunity at Oxford, and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, about why this outbreak is alarming and the risks of it spreading to the United States.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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