The chances of making measles a disease of the past in Europe by 2010 are declining because of a fall in the number of vaccinations in just five countries, including England and Wales.
More than 12,000 cases of measles were reported in Europe in the two years spanning 2006 and 2007, a new study published in the Lancet has revealed.
All but 15% occurred in just five countries - the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Romania - and most were infections of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children.
A slump in vaccine take-up in England - but not Scotland, which has a good vaccination rate - has been blamed on unfounded fears about the possible side effects of the triple measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.
The first measles death in the UK for 15 years was reported in 2006.
The now-discredited 1998 study linking the MMR jab and autism had a direct impact on vaccination rates in the UK with the findings from Dr Andrew Wakefield at London's Royal Free Hospital sparking a major scare and causing vaccination numbers to fall.
In the UK, fewer than 90% of two-year-old children were vaccinated between 1999 and 2006, and between 2002 and 2005 the rate fell to below 85%.
The Department of Health launched a campaign last year to improve MMR take-up rates in England and made extra supplies of the vaccine available.
A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said: "Recent months have seen improvements in vaccination coverage for children up to five years of age, probably linked to local efforts to increase MMR uptake in all unvaccinated children following the widely reported increase in measles cases across England and Wales during 2008."
Dr Mark Muscat, from the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues evaluated data from 32 countries in Europe.
They found that, of a total of 12,132 cases in 2006 and 2007, the vast majority involved children but almost a fifth of cases were adults aged 20 or over.
They concluded that, unless the situation can be changed, the World Health Organisation's stated goal of eliminating measles from Europe by 2010 will not be achieved.
"Since imported cases are a potential source of outbreaks, countries should be aware of possible transmission within Europe and from other continents to ensure that appropriate control measures are implemented in a timely manner," the report's authors wrote.
All but 15% occurred in just five countries - the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Romania - and most were infections of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children.
A slump in vaccine take-up in England - but not Scotland, which has a good vaccination rate - has been blamed on unfounded fears about the possible side effects of the triple measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.
The first measles death in the UK for 15 years was reported in 2006.
The now-discredited 1998 study linking the MMR jab and autism had a direct impact on vaccination rates in the UK with the findings from Dr Andrew Wakefield at London's Royal Free Hospital sparking a major scare and causing vaccination numbers to fall.
In the UK, fewer than 90% of two-year-old children were vaccinated between 1999 and 2006, and between 2002 and 2005 the rate fell to below 85%.
The Department of Health launched a campaign last year to improve MMR take-up rates in England and made extra supplies of the vaccine available.
A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said: "Recent months have seen improvements in vaccination coverage for children up to five years of age, probably linked to local efforts to increase MMR uptake in all unvaccinated children following the widely reported increase in measles cases across England and Wales during 2008."
Dr Mark Muscat, from the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues evaluated data from 32 countries in Europe.
They found that, of a total of 12,132 cases in 2006 and 2007, the vast majority involved children but almost a fifth of cases were adults aged 20 or over.
They concluded that, unless the situation can be changed, the World Health Organisation's stated goal of eliminating measles from Europe by 2010 will not be achieved.
"Since imported cases are a potential source of outbreaks, countries should be aware of possible transmission within Europe and from other continents to ensure that appropriate control measures are implemented in a timely manner," the report's authors wrote.
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