Measles cases are increasing in Italy. Although experts are not yet talking about a measles alarm, the increase in cases reported in the first five months of 2026 is equal to +78.1%. A percentage so high that the Ministry of Health has issued a circular inviting us to strengthen surveillance and vaccinations.
Those most affected, and therefore those most called for the vaccine, are young adults between the ages of 15 and 39. The highest number of cases and the lowest vaccination coverage are concentrated in this range.
Measles cases increase: +78.1%
The numbers in the bulletin clearly speak of an increase outside the norm: +78.1% in the first five months of 2026. From the beginning of the year to the end of May, 609 reports were collected, compared to 342 in the same period last year.
In particular, the most affected group is that between 15 and 39 years old, with 345 reports out of 609 overall. The reason is simple: over time we forget about the reminder. In fact, if the national coverage for the first dose is 94.7% (where 95% is the threshold considered necessary to prevent the virus from circulating in the population), for the second dose it drops to 71.9%.
There are also regional differences. For the first dose:
- in Lombardy it exceeds 98%;
- in Molise it is 98%;
- in Sicily it stops at 88%.
At the first recall, however, no region reaches 95% and just seven regions exceed 90%, led by Umbria at 94.3%, while Sicily drops to 67.8%.
A picture that reflects directly on infections:
- in Calabria the number went from 17 reports in 2025 to 265 in 2026;
- in Campania the number went from 18 reports in 2025 to 100 in 2026;
- in Tuscany the number went from six reports in 2025 to 49 in 2026.
And hospitalizations have also increased: from 49.5% in 2024 to 56.3% in 2025, up to 57.8% in the first 5 months of 2026.
The warning from the Ministry of Health: more vaccines are needed
As stated in the note from the Ministry, signed by the head of the Prevention Department Maria Rosaria Campitiello, there is a critical issue in vaccination coverage and a consequent risk of increased circulation of measles among non-immunized subjects.
The Regions are asked to strengthen surveillance systems, investigating reports of suspected cases, and to promote vaccination campaigns aimed at the least covered groups, such as adults. However, the difficulty of intercepting twenty- and thirty-year-olds emerges, because, as Gianni Rezza, extraordinary professor of Hygiene at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan, explains:
This is a generally healthy segment of the population, which has few relationships with their doctor or other healthcare actors and with a very low perception of risk.
The circular also invites people to check the immunological status of healthcare workers, so as to reduce possible infections within hospitals and accommodation facilities. The share of cases among healthcare workers represents 19.2% of adult cases: there are 55, of which 40 are not vaccinated.
Why is measles dangerous in adults?
Measles is not a harmless disease (in small degrees), but an extremely contagious infection which, especially in adults and fragile individuals, can lead to serious complications.
They range from pneumonia to encephalitis, through ear infections and severe diarrhea. In a limited percentage, but still to be taken into consideration, measles can leave permanent damage and lead to death.
Therefore, if measles does not yet represent a general alarm, it can turn into an emergency in some age groups and in some regions where the coverage of the second dose is below the safety threshold.
Epidemic risk: what is the situation
If there is no talk of alarm at a national level, in Liguria the situation is approaching an emergency. In the region alone, 12 cases have been recorded in the last 20 days, with four hospitalizations at the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa for pulmonary, neurological and liver complications.
Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the IRCCS San Martino, speaks of an “unprecedented epidemic outbreak in this region”. And he adds:
We are only at the beginning of a very serious epidemic that will probably affect not only Liguria, but Italy in general.
