Germany warns of alarming rise in measles infections

By Louis Charbonneau

BERLIN (Reuters) - German health officials warned on Thursday of an alarming increase in measles infections, a childhood disease that can occasionally be deadly, and urged citizens to make sure children are vaccinated against the virus.

The Robert Koch Institute, a state agency specializing in infectious diseases and public health, said the number of German cases of measles has jumped by tenfold to over 1,200 cases so far this year up from a total of 121 in 2004 and 778 in 2005.

"All who want to eradicate measles are obliged to do more," said Reinhard Kurth, president of the institute. "Measles are one of the most contagious diseases in existence. In 10 to 20 percent of the cases there are complications and in rare cases it can cause disabilities and even death.

In 2003, 530,000 people died worldwide from measles, widely considered a childhood disease, the institute said in a statement. Measles is a major killer of children in poor developing countries.

The principle reason for the increase in measles cases is that the percentage of the German population that is getting both measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine injections is below the 95 percent ratio needed to eradicate the disease.

Currently 93.3 percent of Germans are getting the first injection and 65.7 percent the second jab, the institute said.

But Germany, Europe's most populous country, is not alone with its low vaccination rates, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe.

"A sustained low vaccination rate is some western European countries is the main reason for the rising number of measles infections," the WHO said in a statement.

In 2004, Austria, Switzerland and Italy were among the western European states with vaccination rates below 85 percent, it said.

The WHO aims to eradicate measles in Europe by 2010, a goal that is also official policy in Germany.

German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt urged parents in a statement to get their children inoculated, saying that the modern MMR vaccines are "well tolerated and rarely result in undesirable side effects."

"Today small children can be protected against a wide array of diseases with the help of a few vaccinations. Therefore I call on parents to get your children vaccinated. Be aware of your responsibility for your children's health," Schmidt said.