Measles on rise in Switzerland

70 measles cases were detected in Switzerland by health authorities in 2016, up from 36 infections two years ago, Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve reported Wednesday, citing latest figures from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

According to the report, half of last year's cases were due to two outbreaks in Lausanne and Engadin. Most of those who contracted the highly-contagious disease had either not been inoculated or had only received one dose of the vaccination.

FOPH reminded that to prevent the spread of the disease in a country, at least 95 percent of its population born after 1964 (before which time no vaccine was available) must have received two doses of the serum.

The most recent data on vaccination levels in the confederation, from 2014, shows that 93 percent of the Swiss population aged two and above has been vaccinated at least once, while 86 percent has received two jabs.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 134,000 measles deaths were recorded globally in 2015, with 95 percent of fatalities recorded in low-income and weak health infrastructure countries. Enditem