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this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
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Futurology
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There are anti-vaccine groups in pretty much every western country. According to the WHO, in 2025, there were 14,064 confirmed measles cases across all of North and South America, meanwhile there were 33,998 confirmed cases across Europe. This is a global issue
Those numbers are meaningless. The population of Europe is about 750M, with a population density of 73/km^2^. The population of the Americas is about 1000M with a population density of less than 25/km^2^. So, if simple population was all that mattered, one would expect more in the Americas. However, if population density matters more, one would expect more transmission, and more cases in Europe. Also, measles vaccination in Europe is 94% while it is 88% in the Americas. That sounds close, but a better way of looking at it is twice as many people in the Americas are refusing the vaccine than in Europe.
This is a global issue, but it's twice as bad in the Americas.