Another child died of measles in the USA at the beginning of April. This means that a total of three deaths have been reported in the course of the current measles outbreaks in the USA since the start of 2025. There is also an outbreak in Mexico which, according to initial analyses, is likely to be linked to the one in Texas and in which an unvaccinated man has died so far.

This number of deaths in such a short time is exceptional. Normally, there are 1 to 3 deaths per 1,000 unvaccinated cases. So far, 712 measles cases have been reported in the US since the beginning of the year, 97% of which are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status (1% have received one MMR dose, 2% have received two MMR doses)(CDC, as of 10/04/2024). In comparison, 285 measles cases were reported in the US last year. Three deaths could be a statistical outlier, but it is also conceivable that by no means all infections are recorded.

In Europe, the reported number of measles cases for 2024 is the highest in 25 years. In 2024, 127,350 measles cases were reported in the WHO Europe region, twice as many as in 2023. The vaccination rate had fallen sharply during the pandemic and has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Factors currently leading to this sharp increase in measles cases are low vaccination rates, public distrust of health authorities, vaccine scepticism and misinformation circulating. US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Francis Kennedy Junior, who has been an active anti-vaccination campaigner in the past, has publicly recommended vitamin A or cod liver oil for the treatment of measles. Following this statement, several children in Texas had to be treated for vitamin A poisoning after being hospitalised for measles complications. Vitamin A is only used by doctors in a controlled manner in special cases when patients have a deficiency, but not for general treatment. If you take it yourself, there is a risk of overdosing and thus poisoning, which can damage the liver.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease characterised by fever, cough and a characteristic skin rash. It can lead to life-threatening complications such as inflammation of the lungs and brain. The measles virus is mainly transmitted by droplets when coughing or sneezing.
In Austria, 82 cases have been reported so far this year (as of 16/04/2025).

The most effective way to protect against measles infection is vaccination. A total of two doses of vaccine are generally recommended from the age of 9 months. The vaccination is part of the free vaccination programme of the federal government, the federal states and social insurance companies and is available free of charge at public vaccination centres for all age groups.

More information on the measles vaccination can be found at:
Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) - Vaccination Service Vienna

It is advisable to check your own vaccination status and update your vaccinations if necessary.

Measles - AGES
Measles - United States of America
Measles Cases and Outbreaks | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC
European Region reports highest number of measles cases in more than 25 years - UNICEF, WHO/Europe

At the end of March, the avian influenza virus A(H5N1) was detected for the first time in a sheep in the United Kingdom. Poultry had previously tested positive in the neighbourhood. With the sheep, another animal species joins the list of animals in which an infection with the avian influenza virus A(H5N1) has been detected. Never before have so many different hosts been found to harbour H5N1. In the USA, dairy cows, pigs, cats and rodents, among others, have been infected with avian influenza virus A(H5N1) since March 2024. In Europe, too, there have been cases of avian influenza in ferrets and foxes on fur farms in recent years. This range of hosts shows that the virus can adapt quickly. With each additional infected animal, the likelihood of it coming into contact with humans and making the leap to a human host also increases.

In the USA, 70 people have tested positive for the avian influenza virus A(H5N1) since last year, and one person died from it in early 2025. Most of them had been infected either by sick dairy cows or sick poultry(CDC, as of 14 April 2025).

In Mexico, an A(H5N1) infection was first detected in a human, a three-year-old child, at the beginning of April. The girl died of the infection shortly afterwards. How she became infected is still being investigated.

There is no evidence of continued human-to-human transmission. There are no cases of bird flu in humans in Europe. Furthermore, the risk of infection for the general public in Europe is considered to be low, and for occupationally exposed persons to be low to moderate.

In Latvia, 58 cases of infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have been reported since the beginning of March (as of 03/04/2025). The majority of those affected are children.

Bacteria of the Escherichia coli species are part of the normal intestinal flora in humans. Some E. coli bacteria acquire the ability to produce a specific toxin, shiga toxin, and can thus cause illness in humans; they are called shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Infection usually occurs via contaminated food or water sources.

The disease causes watery diarrhoea, which often becomes bloody after a few days and can be accompanied by severe nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In around 5-10% of cases, especially in young children, a secondary illness can occur, the life-threatening haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). HUS leads to kidney failure, anaemia and other severe symptoms.

The Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) is carrying out investigations. Large-scale measures have already been taken: Affected persons are being interviewed, contact persons are being identified and the pathogens are being analysed. The first results from the laboratory are available; two STEC serotypes (O103 and O26) have been identified. It is not yet clear whether these are two separate outbreaks with two different contaminated products or a combined outbreak in which a single product is contaminated with different pathogens.

Epidemiological investigation of E. coli infection cases continues | Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

On 14 April 2020, the food manufacturer Wojnar's issued a recall for several hummus varieties and batches. The reason was that salmonella was found in the raw material tahini during an internal quality control. It cannot be ruled out that products contaminated with salmonella have been placed on the market. The products were temporarily available in Austria in branches of Kröswang, Wedl, Kastner, Transgourmet, Eurogast, Nöm Gast and Julius Kiennast. They can be returned to the respective shops and the purchase price will be refunded even without proof of purchase.

A detailed list of the affected products and batches can be found on our website.

Whether there are salmonella illnesses associated with these products has yet to be determined by laboratory tests (as of 16.04.2025).

Salmonella - AGES

Case numbers of notifiable diseases according to the ^Epidemics Act, the figures are shown for the previous month and, in each case for the period from the beginning of the year to the end of the previous month, the figures for the current year, for the previous year, as well as the median of the last 5 years for comparison (Epidemiological Reporting System, as of 16.04.2025).

^a The diseases are assessed according to the case definition. Diseases for which a case definition exists are shown, with the exception of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. As a rule, confirmed and probable cases are counted. Subsequent notifications or entries may result in changes.

^b Bacterial and viral food poisoning, in accordance with the Epidemics Act.

^c Invasive bacterial disease, in accordance with the Epidemics Act.

^d Includes only cases with pneumonia.

^e Mpox has been notifiable since 2022; the median is only calculated for the years in which notification is mandatory.