Measles outbreak in Sweden: most cases in unvaccinated children
Sweden is experiencing a measles outbreak linked to a music festival, highlighting the risks of falling vaccination rates. Health authorities are urging citizens to get the MMR vaccine to restore community immunity.
Why it matters
It underscores the public health necessity of maintaining high vaccination coverage to prevent the resurgence of contagious diseases.
‘European experts say combined MMR vaccine is the best way to stop epidemic’
Sweden is reporting dozens of measles cases in an outbreak linked to an annual music festival. The outbreak follows a dip in Sweden’s high vaccination rates.
The epidemic has been traced to the Urkult Festival which attracted 10,000 people to northern Sweden in August. Children, who account for a significant proportion of the cases reported so far, could attend the festival for free.
Sweden recorded just ten cases of measles in total in 2025. Vaccination rates have traditionally been high, with the vast majority of people vaccinated against measles. In 2022, 97% of children in Sweden had at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. Since 2022, uptake has fallen to around 93%.
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