"There are communities where almost all children are unvaccinated." The disease that killed 30 Romanian children

Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025

HotNews

Romania faces rising measles cases due to declining vaccination rates and vaccine hesitancy among parents.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Dr. Gindrovel Dumitra, coordinator of the Family Doctors’ Vaccination Group in Romania, expresses concern over a high volume of anti-vaccine opinions, noting that children are the primary victims. Data shows 30 children died from measles in Romania between January 2023 and June 2025, and the country experienced its second measles epidemic in seven years (September 2023 – August 2024). Romania accounted for over three-quarters of all measles cases in Europe during a specific period, with the EU recording its highest number of measles infections in 25 years in 2024. Global increases are attributed to decreased vaccination coverage post-COVID-19. Measles vaccination is presented as the only safe prevention method, yet Romania ranks low in European vaccination rates. Vaccination coverage for the first dose of ROR has dropped from a pre-pandemic 80% to around 70%, and the second dose rate is near 60%, falling short of the necessary 95% threshold. The main barrier identified is vaccine hesitancy, stemming partly from historical misinformation regarding autism. Barriers to vaccination include attitudinal/behavioral issues like post-COVID reluctance, socio-cultural factors, negative media influence, and systemic issues such as bureaucracy. Dr. Dumitra suggests that solutions must be localized rather than national because in certain areas, unvaccinated status has become the social norm.

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