Rujeola is not “a simple childhood disease”, as some parents still believe. It is an extremely contagious viral infection, which can lead to serious complications. In Romania, the epidemic escaped from control. More and more children arrive in the hospital, some in serious condition, because of their parents’ refusal to vaccine. And experts say that in the last year Romania has reported over 27,500 measles cases – ie 85% of all cases in the European economic area.
Child with measles. Photo Archive Adevărul
Vaccination is not a moft, but an act of responsibility towards their own children and the whole community. Measles does not just mean fever and eruptions. It also means complications, hospitalizations and – sometimes – death.
The choice not to vaccine may seem personal. But in an epidemic, it becomes public. And sometimes fatal.
Measles nowas: Romania, tragic leader in Europe
Between February 2024 and January 2025, Romania reported over 27,500 measles cases – ie 85% of all cases in the European economic area. We have an incidence of 1,447 cases per one million inhabitants, while the European average is only 71.
While the virus extends, the number of vaccinated children remains alarmingly small. Why? Because misinformation works faster than any prevention campaign. Antivaccine influences, conspiracy theories and a guilty silence of the authorities contribute to a disaster that was predictable.
According to the recent data of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), measles cases (POJAR) in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEE) have registered a considerable increase in the last 12 months (February 2024 – January 2025) compared to the previous year. This indicates that the virus is actively circulating in the region, and the number of cases could continue to increase in the spring of 2025.
Immunization with two doses of ROR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) remains the safest and most effective method of preventing this extremely contagious disease. However, the data show that 80% of people diagnosed with measles in the EU/EEA lately were not vaccinated. In Romania, the vaccination rate decreases from one month to another. The vaccine coverage with the first dose of ROR in Romania is 78% at national level, while for the second dose, the coverage is only 62%., According to the data of the National Institute of Public Health.
The ROR – Safe, Effective, Verified Decade Vaccine
Yes, the measles vaccine is an old one, thoroughly tested and with a very good safety profile. The ROR vaccine is old, reliable, efficient and safe. The real risks come from the lack of vaccination, not from its administration.
- It has been used since 1963 and, in the current combined form ROR (measles, mumps, rubella), from 1971.
- It is one of the most studied vaccines in history, with hundreds of international studies that attest its effectiveness and safety.
- It is included in the national vaccination scheme from over 100 countries.
- Serious side effects are extremely rare (under 1 per million doses). The most common are light local reactions (fever, redness at the injection site, slight rashes).
The myth of autism, through the anti -vaccinary current
- It was launched in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield, a former British doctor who falsified the data and was radiated from the Medical Register. His study was officially retracted by the magazine “The Lancet”.
- Dozens of subsequent studies, on millions of children, have shown that there is no connection between the ROR vaccine and autism.
ROR vaccination attacked by antivacinists
The real danger of the disease is confirmed by the entire medical community in Romania. Dr. Sandra Alexiu, the president of the Association of Family Physicians Bucharest-Ilfov, stresses that the current measles epidemic is a public health crisis that could be avoided: “This situation is the direct result of anti-vaccinist campaigns. Rujeola is not an easy disease, but a dangerous one, with a complications. Clare and a firm position from the authorities, leaving the doctors to fight alone against this wave of refusals. ”
What can cause measles?
Most children make mild or medium forms, but 1 in 10 can develop complications: ear infections, pneumonia, severe diarrhea, and rarely – encephalitis (brain inflammation), a condition that can lead to permanent or even death.
A rare, but devastating case is subacute sclerosing pancakes – which can occur years later, leading to progressive brain degradation and, inevitably, to death. It’s rare, but real. And can be prevented: by vaccine.
“How can you refuse to protect your child?”
Dr. Bianca Cojan Mânzat, family doctor from Cluj, mother and doctor observes with concern how the number of confirmed measles cases has increased significantly, both in the family doctors’ offices and in hospitals. “Currently, many parents refuse the anti -Rujeolic vaccine due to misinformation. False ideas are used, such as the association of the vaccine – a completely unfounded theory,” says Dr. Mânzat.
Another important point that the doctor emphasizes is that the anti -Rujolic vaccine is not experimental, but one with a solid tradition, administered in Romania and throughout Europe. “This vaccine is tested, safe and used for decades. As a parent, I was vaccinated and I wonder how I could choose my child, especially when the risks of the disease are so serious,” adds Dr. Cojan Mânzat.
Rujeola is not a trivial childhood disease, as some parents might think. Complications can be extremely serious: “The disease can lead to otitis, impairment of the nervous system, severe pneumonia and even encephalitis that leaves the sequelae for life. The most dangerous of these complications is subacute sclerosing, but fatal condition, which can occur at 7–10 years after infection. of paralysis and loss of cognitive functions ”, explains the doctor.
For parents who wonder whether or not to vaccinate their children, the doctor has a clear message: “How can you, as a parent, refuse a simple and safe form of protection? Measles is not a banality, and the ROR vaccine is the only method of effective and proven prevention.”
Holy water, teas and homeopathy? Not in the face of death
Dr. Alice Vasiliade, a family doctor, emphasizes the real dangers of the refusal to vaccinate against measles and makes a direct call to the parents: “There is no treatment for measles. There is no magic pill. There is no sanctified water to save. The only protection is the vaccine.” She explains how, when looking for information on the internet measles, the first results are often antivaccine sites, which promote dangerous and false ideas. “Parents need to know that the British doctor who said that the ROR vaccine was causing autism was excluded from the profession for fraud, which he himself recognized,” explains doctor Alice Vasiliade.
She describes the tragic experiences she has experienced in her career: “I saw children who died because of serious measles complications. Message is not a harmless disease, and the vaccine is the only way of prevention.”
“Whoever saw a child dying of panencephalitis to shut up. It is a terrible process: the child gradually paralyzes, loses his cognitive functions, and finally dies,” says doctor Vasiliade.
Dr. Vasiliade also responds to a widespread idea: “There are children diagnosed with autism before they are vaccinated. You cannot make a connection where there is no. These statements have no scientific basis.” In addition, the family doctor said he supports the new legislative framework that will do compulsory vaccination for all family doctors, which he thinks will contribute to protecting public health and stopping the measles epidemic.
ROR vaccination refusal has a price
ROR vaccination is recommended in Romania and included in the national calendar, but is not imposed by direct legal obligation. However, in the context of epidemics, the health authorities can adopt special measures to protect public health. These include the temporary exclusion of unvaccinated children from communities or other prevention actions. In addition, the new legislative framework in the medical field will provide for family doctors to provide vaccination services, thus strengthening the responsibility of the medical system in combating preventable diseases.
