Urgent Call for Measles Vaccination in Bosnia Amid Rising Cases

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have urged Bosnia to increase its measles vaccination rate after two teenagers died in an outbreak. Bosnia, with over 7,000 estimated cases, has the highest rate in the Balkans. The immunization rate is only 55%, and stronger efforts are needed to prevent further infections.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF on Tuesday urged Bosnia's authorities to raise the measles vaccination rate among children after two adolescents in the country died in an outbreak of the highly infectious respiratory illness. Bosnia has the highest number of measles infections in the Balkans, with more than 7,000 estimated cases recorded since the first outbreak last December. Neighboring Montenegro, in comparison, has only eight cases.

The national immunization rate for measles in Bosnia is only 55%, compared to 90% in neighboring Croatia. Erwin Cooreman, the WHO's special representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated, "There is no clearer sign of a breakdown in immunization coverage than an increase in measles cases."

Measles, an airborne virus affecting mostly children under five, can have devastating and sometimes fatal consequences but is preventable with two doses of a vaccine, according to the WHO. Marc Lucet, UNICEF's representative in Bosnia, asserted, "In 2024, there is no justification for children to be at risk of contracting this preventable disease," calling on health officials to strengthen vaccination efforts.

A 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old boy died from measles in July in Sarajevo and Zenica, respectively. Both were unvaccinated. UNICEF and the European Union are funding a childhood immunization campaign in Bosnia's autonomous Bosniak-Croat federation, where most cases have been recorded. In February, the WHO warned that over half of the world's countries are at high or very high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of the year unless urgent preventative measures are taken.