Summary of Research: Studies show that primary reason for the measles outbreak, affecting several European countries, is the decline in vaccination coverage, for which mainly the ‘spread of anti-scientific theories’ can be blamed. However, a new study shows that cuts in public health expenditure also play an important role, with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccination coverage decreasing 0.5 percentage points for each 1 percent expenditure cut.
Primary Research: Veronica Toffolutti, Martin McKee, Alessia Melegaro, Walter Ricardo, David Stuckler. Austerity, measles and mandatory vaccination: cross-regional analysis of vaccination in Italy 2000-14. European Journal of Public Health, 2018; DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/cky178