Contagious Measles Reaches Croatia as Two Zagreb Cases Are Confirmed

Two adults in Zagreb have been diagnosed with measles in epidemiologically linked cases, and one of them is connected to a stay in Kosovo, where the number of infections has risen.

The cases were confirmed at the Dr. Fran Mihaljević Clinic for Infectious Diseases. One patient has a moderately severe form of the illness, while the other has a milder case. Croatia’s Institute of Public Health is tracing the patients and their contacts and will compile the full epidemiological picture after that work is complete.

The clinic stressed that measles spreads extremely easily through the air, including respiratory particles released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. About 90% of people without immunity become infected after contact with someone who has measles.

Symptoms include fever, coughing, a runny nose, conjunctivitis and a rash that begins on the face before spreading across the body. Adults can develop severe illness requiring hospital treatment. Complications include ear infections, diarrhoea and pneumonia. Encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, affects about one in 1,000 patients and can cause lasting neurological damage. Young children, adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems face higher risks.

The clinic said vaccination remains the most effective protection. Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine provide long-term protection and are about 97% effective at preventing measles. People who are unvaccinated or have not received the recommended number of doses were advised to contact their family doctor or an epidemiology service, especially before travelling to areas reporting increased infections.