The World Health Organization (WHO) says Ukraine ranked first among the countries of the European Region in the number of measles cases in 2018.
"According to monthly country reports for January to December 2018 (received as of February 1, 2019), 82,596 people in 47 of 53 countries contracted measles," the WHO said in a statement on February 7.
In countries reporting hospitalization data, nearly 2/3 (61%) of measles cases were hospitalized.
The total number of people infected with the virus in 2018 was the highest this decade: 3 times the total reported in 2017 and 15 times the record low number of people affected in 2016.
TOP 10 countries of the European region with most cases of measles recorded:
Ukraine: 53,218
Serbia: 5,076
Israel: 2,919
France: 2,913
Italy: 2,517
Russia: 2,256
Georgia: 2,203
Greece: 2,193
Albania: 1,466
Romania: 1,087.
