In 2024, the World Health Organisation’s European Region faced a record number of measles and whooping cough cases, despite global progress in vaccination. Flanders too was badly affected. The European Commission, the WHO and UNICEF are publicising the situation at the start of the 20th European Immunisation Week. In 2024, more than 298,000 people in the region contracted whooping cough and 127,000 people were infected with measles.
In Flanders too, the number of whooping cough cases reached unprecedented levels in 2024. The Flemish Health Department recorded 2,790 cases. That is more than double the figure the previous years and the highest number ever since records began. In 2025, however, there was a sharp decline in the number of recorded infections in Flanders to just 307.
In the summer of 2025, a vaccination campaign against whooping cough targeting pregnant women was launched in Flanders. If pregnant women are vaccinated, the antibodies are passed on to their unborn child.
Record number of measles cases in Flanders
Furthermore, the number of measles cases in Flanders has also risen dramatically. In 2023, there were only 35 cases. In 2024, there were 123 cases, and last year that number rose to 229, a record high.
Furthermore, almost 80 per cent of the cases were among unvaccinated individuals. Most cases occurred in children aged between 0 and 9 years.
However, the Flemish Health Department warns that measles is not a childhood disease. Adults are also regularly admitted to hospital due to the disease.