Measles outbreak in Ukraine kills two

Two people, including a five-year-old child, have died this month in an outbreak of measles in Ukraine, where the vaccination rate is among the lowest in Europe, officials said Wednesday.

The health ministry reported the death of an adult in the Black Sea port of Odessa, while official figures of the public health centre showed a five-year-old child died of measles in the region last week.

School holidays have been extended in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.

Since the start of January authorities have recorded 1,275 cases of measles, compared with 4,782 cases in the whole of 2017, when five people died including three children—all in the Odessa region.

The outbreak has prompted calls for parents to vaccinate their children and for schools to turn away non-vaccinated pupils.

Ukraine's measles vaccination rate for one-year-olds stands at 88 percent, far below the 95 percent rate recommended by the World Health Organization.

Measles has also struck in neighbouring Romania, as well as Italy, France, Germany and Greece.

© 2018 AFP