Italy ranks first in the European Union and European Economic Area for absolute measles cases, registering 653 infections between September 2025 and August 2026, accounting for 28% of the 2,335 total cases across the EU/EEA. According to an Ecdc report, Italy's incidence rate stands at 11.1 cases per million inhabitants, well above the European average of 5.1.
While the first dose of the MMR vaccine sits nationally at 94.77% (close to the 95% threshold recommended by the WHO for herd immunity), the second booster dose has dropped to 84.45%, with regional lows plummeting under 75% in Campania, Sicily, and Bolzano. To avert major outbreaks like those recently seen in parts of the United States - where New York declared a state of emergency and Pennsylvania reported hundreds of hospitalizations and five deaths - the Italian Ministry of Health has urged regional authorities to reinforce surveillance and target unvaccinated individuals.