In 2021, low circulation of the measles virus was closely linked to the measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic

In 2021, the dynamics of the measles outbreak were identical to those observed during the last nine months of 2020. The near absence of viral circulation between April 2020 and March 2022 is likely due in part to the lockdown implemented in France between March and May 2020, as well as the continued enforcement in 2021 and 2022 of measures recommended to the public to combat the COVID-19 pandemic (social distancing, preventive measures, mask-wearing, curfews) that also affected the transmission of other respiratory pathogens.

• View ECDC data by month and by country

Measles: Key Figures and Results for 2021 in France

• 16 cases of measles, including 5 imported cases, were reported in France in 2021 (compared to 240 cases in 2020 and 2,636 cases in 2019): <1 year: 5 cases, 1–14 years: 7 cases, >15 years: 4 cases.

• The reporting rate is 0.02 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (excluding imported cases), with the highest rate observed among children under 1 year of age: 0.43 cases per 100,000.

• Three cases were hospitalized, none in the intensive care unit.

• Two cases presented with pneumonia. No cases of encephalitis or deaths occurred.

• Of the 11 indigenous cases, 9 were in the target vaccination group (aged ≥1 year and born since 1980), and among them, only one case, aged 26, had received 2 doses of vaccine; the other cases were unvaccinated or had received only a single dose of vaccine (n=2).

• Only 5 departments reported cases. Two cases originating from Brazil were imported into French Guiana, each resulting in one secondary case. Two cases imported from Mali and one case imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not result in any secondary cases.

See also:

• Epidemiological Bulletin 2021

• Data from previous years

• National vaccination coverage data

Measles: The Importance of Two-Dose Vaccination

Measles is one of the most contagious infections, with complications that can be severe, and it is potentially eradicable through high vaccination coverage.

Today, there is no specific treatment for the measles virus, and only very high vaccination coverage could lead to the disease’s permanent elimination. In France, although vaccination coverage against measles by age 2 is steadily increasing, it has not yet reached the 95% required for elimination. Measles vaccination is mandatory for all children born on or after January 1, 2018. The first dose is administered at 12 months and the second between 16 and 18 months. Individuals born since 1980 should have received a total of two doses of the vaccine, regardless of their history regarding any of the three diseases.

The goal of increasing vaccination coverage aims not only to directly protect vaccinated individuals but also to protect vulnerable individuals (infants under one year of age, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals) at risk of severe forms of the disease from infection through herd immunity.