The alarm is on because of the most contagious virus; Epidemic after epidemic; The disease spreads over Serbia

As Blic writes, given that Serbia is not an isolated island, and that measles has been ravaging our country since the beginning of the year before last, the risk of the situation spilling over and worsening also exists in our country, experts warn.

Smallpox is the most contagious disease, and each patient can transmit it to nine out of ten other unvaccinated people who are exposed to the virus.

World media are reporting a frightening warning from experts that the US could be on the verge of losing its status as a smallpox-free country.

On the occasion of smallpox, yesterday, after a long time, the Institute for Public Health "Dr Milan Jovanović Batut" made an announcement, in which it is stated that "the endemic presence of measles is maintained" in Serbia.

The number of cases in Europe increased even 10 times

In Europe, the number of cases infected with measles increased 10 times in 2024, and is the highest since 1997, and continues to increase according to the data of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

So far in 2025, around 4,500 measles cases have been reported across the European Union, according to the latest ECDC measles and rubella report, most of which are unvaccinated children under the age of four.

The most affected are Romania, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, according to the latest ECDC report.

On the other hand, as they note in Great Britain, vaccination, which is the best protection, is declining.

The risk also exists in Serbia

The head of the Immunization Unit of the City Institute for Public Health in Belgrade, Dr Ivana Begović Lazarević, explains to "Blic" that, given the type of virus, the risk of worsening the situation also exists in our country.

"We are talking about the most contagious virus, which remains floating in the air two hours after an infected person leaves that area. Sometimes an infected person does not even know from whom he could have gotten the virus, precisely because he does not have to be in the room with an infected person at all. Considering that, and the conditions in which we lead our lives that within one day we can get from one end of the planet to the other, it is completely to be expected that, if in a country in the vicinity, and it does not have to be a neighbouring country, there is a current epidemic with a large number of patients, so that the virus always finds a way", explains Dr Begović Lazarević for Blic.

Romania, Germany, Spain...

There is currently a big epidemic in neighboring Romania.

"No one can say that someone from Romania will not come to us and be a risk for us. Romania, which is in the European Union, was the leader in terms of the disease last year, followed by Kazakhstan. The epidemic also broke out in Germany, France, Italy and many European countries. Highly visited tourist countries," says Dr Ivana Begović Lazarevic.

Summer is not the season when a larger number of patients appear, due to more time spent outdoors, airing the rooms...

Practice, however, denies the seasonal schedule of the virus, which has also been shown in our country.

"Measles season is the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Less expected in summer, but we also had an epidemic during the summer months. In Belgrade, we have not registered an epidemic yet. It happened to us for the first time, I don't know when it happened, that in 2024 we have two reported epidemics in Belgrade - we reported one in February and deregistered it in September, and already in October we registered a new one, which we did not deregister. This is all a sign that children should be vaccinated," notes Dr Ivana Begović Lazarević.