Diphtheria, measles and other infectious diseases increase year-on-year in Czechia

Several infectious diseases, including diphtheria, measles, and mpox, have increased year-on-year in Czechia, the State Health Institute reports. Tick-borne diseases and whooping cough also saw an increase in the first five months of this year compared to last. Conversely, there were fewer cases of scabies and salmonella.

The Ministry of Health plans to comment on the spread of measles at a press conference on Monday. Czechia lost the status of a measles-free country in 2019 after the number of annual cases rose to almost 600. The target for vaccination against measles to prevent it from spreading within a population is 95 percent - a target that Czechia has not achieved in several years, despite vaccination against the disease being mandatory for children.