ZAGREB, September 25, 2019 - The Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) said on Wednesday that in the period from the start of this year to September 24 it had received reports of 33 persons infected with measles, and currently new cases are being reported exclusively in Zagreb, while in other counties cases of measles infection were reported in the first half of the year.

Since the start of the year, most cases of measles infection have been reported in Split-Dalmatia County (14), followed by Zagreb (11), Brod-Posavina County (5), Zadar County (2) and Dubrovnik-Neretva County (1).

Eleven Zagreb residents contracted measles this year. Among them are two people who fell ill in February and May and they contracted the disease outside the country and did not pass it onto other people. Nine more people contracted measles in late August and in September, and currently epidemiological data is being collected and preventive measures are being taken, the HZJZ said.

It said that the vaccination rate in Zagreb is satisfactory, with 95.8% of children having been vaccinated as part of primary vaccination and 94.8% as part of revaccination.

Of the 33 persons diagnosed with measles, nine were cases of infection imported from outside the country, 14 persons got infected in Croatia following contact with measles patients, and for 10 cases it was not possible to establish where the infection occurred.

Among those 33 with the infection, 12 were not vaccinated, 5 were insufficiently vaccinated (with only one vaccine), 2 persons received two vaccines, and the vaccination status of 14 persons is not known.

Most of the patients were aged over 30 (19), six were in the age group 20-29, four were children under the age of 4, two were aged between 10 and 12, one was under 1 and one in the age group 5-9.

The measles vaccination rate in Croatia in 2018 was 93.2% in primary vaccination, and 94.7% in revaccination. Every year cases of imported disease are reported but it is the high vaccination rate that prevents the spreading of the disease.

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“The risk has increased after a significant number of citizens travelled for the New Year’s holidays,” says the Split-Dalmatia County Public Health Institute.