More than 5,000 cases of measles were reported in Bosnia and Herzegovina last year and experts say the outbreak has continued.
The massive epidemic is partly a legacy of the war in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 – during which time a large number of children missed out on vaccination – and anti-vaccine sentiment.
The World Health Organisation estimates the number of cases at 5,340 and, with immunisation rates falling to 87%, the disease can continue to spread. The WHO says that at least 95% of people should have two doses of the measles vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity.
“I am increasingly hearing from parents about their fears due to the stuff they read on the Internet,” Dr. Gordana Banduka, a pediatrician from Pale, near Sarajevo, told The Associated Press.
Europe has been suffering from measles outbreaks in several countries – including Germany where a toddler died last month – but the Bosnia epidemic is by far the worst.
Measles in Europe: Where’s the outrage?