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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 82,000 people in Europe were infected with measles in 2018, which represents the highest number of cases reported in the region this decade.
The record figures were achieved despite the fact that more children than ever before are vaccinated against the highly contagious infectious disease.
The WHO said that "uneven progress between countries and within countries" was at the root of the problem.
READ MORE: Measles "spreads like wildfire" if children are not vaccinated, says WHO expert
The disease, which affects mostly young children, causes symptoms, including high fever and white spots inside the mouth, before turning into a "measles rash".
According to the WHO, the most serious complications of severe measles are blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes swelling of the brain), diarrhea and dehydration, as well as serious respiratory infections.
Data released on Thursday shows that 82,596 people have contracted measles in 47 of the 53 countries in the European Region clbadified by WHO between January and December.
Seventy-two children and adults died of the disease.
The WHO said the historical annual figure was three times higher than 2017 and 15 times higher than the record low recorded in 2016.
Ukraine has the highest number of measles cases in Europe in 2018, with 53,218.
France (2 913) and Italy (2 517) were also among the 10 most affected countries.
READ MORE: Which countries are behind the largest measles epidemic in Europe?
"The situation for 2018 clearly shows that the current rate of increase in vaccination rates will be insufficient to stop the circulation of measles. This means that gaps at the local level still offer an open door to the virus, "said WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab in a statement.
"We can not reach healthier populations globally, as promised in WHO's vision for the next five years, if we do not work locally. We must do more and do better to protect everyone from diseases that can be easily prevented. "
WHO has urged European countries to "target their interventions to places and groups where immunization gaps persist".
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