The renowned Romanian cardiologist Gabriel Tatu-Chițoiu drew attention to the devastating consequences of measles in a post on Facebook, in which he presented the case of a 7-year-old child who contracted the disease at the age of 7 months, being unvaccinated.
“His illness was complicated by subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. It is a progressive neuroinflammatory disease of the brain associated with persistence of the measles virus. It can have a latent period of many years. The condition is fatal. The child died after 12 months,” the doctor explained.
Tatu-Chițoiu emphasizes that vaccination remains the only safe method of preventing infection and neurological complications associated with measles. “While I was a country doctor, I vaccinated several hundred children for 4 years, without any notable adverse effects“, he specified.
According to the doctor, measles epidemics have recently been reported in the USA, Australia, Southeast Asia, but also in several European countries. Romania, in particular, is experiencing an alarming increase in cases as a result of declining vaccination rates, largely caused by misinformation and anti-vaccine campaigns.
“At the moment there is a measles epidemic in the USA, Australia, South-East Asia and in European countries. Romania has reported a significant increase in cases in recent years due to the decrease in the vaccination rate of children. Collateral effect of credulity in front of fierce anti-vaccine semi-docs. In short: some idiots”. he wrote.
The situation in Romania: an immunization crisis
Official data shows that between February 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025, 27,568 of the 32,265 measles cases in the EU were registered in Romania, far more than any other European state. In the period 2023–2025, over 35,700 Romanians were diagnosed with measles, most of them children under 15 years of age, and 30 people lost their lives due to complications.
A study by the Save the Children Romania organization shows that only 47.4% of children received the first dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). Causes include excessive bureaucracy, lack of vaccination in schools and kindergartens, transportation difficulties, but also misinformation online and in communities.
The organization calls on the authorities to take urgent measures: simplify the reporting of vaccinations, train medical staff in communication with parents and create local teams to promote immunization and provide answers to parents.
The doctor’s message: prevention is the only weapon
“Measles and other fatal diseases are returning to Romania. Vaccination is the only way to protect children. When parents choose not to vaccinate, they put their children’s lives at risk. It is tragic and totally avoidable,” Gabriel Tatu-Chițoiu also declared.
