A variant of the measles virus prevalent in Morocco has been found in sewage water in Brussels, research conducted by KU Leuven reveals. Elke Wollants, lab manager at Leuven University's Rega Institute has identified the variant of the virus found as genotype B3, the so called ‘Moroccan variant’.
Wollants speaks of a particularly high concentration of the measles virus, peaking on 11 March. Enquiries by the researcher at Brussels health institute Vivalis reveal that only 18 cases have been reported so far this year. ‘That’s probably an underestimate,’ she says, though she also points out that this type of measles has a large viral load, which may influence the results.
Measles outbreak in Morocco
Morocco is currently facing an ‘historically large’ measles outbreak. Since the end of 2023, more than 25,000 cases have been recorded in the North African country, resulting in about 120 deaths. The genotype B3, also found in Brussels ‘is on the rise all over Europe. This is alarming. The Netherlands already counted 45 cases in two weeks, and Spain and France are also in trouble,’ Wollants warns. According to a recent report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Belgium, with 551 cases, ranks 4th in Europe for the highest number of infections between 1 February 2024 and 31 January 2025.
Wollants calls on everyone to check their vaccination status. People born before 1970 have usually had the disease and are therefore protected. People in their thirties can check their vaccination status via myhealth.be. Since past vaccinations were not always recorded digitally, it is advisable also to check old vaccination cards or GP records. People who are not or incompletely vaccinated can get a free catch-up vaccination from their GP. A double catch-up vaccination is also recommended in case of doubt.