The World Health Organization has issued a warning amid a measles outbreak in Europe and around the world.

Measles, a highly contagious virus, is preventable with two doses of the measles vaccine, but the WHO says in 2022 there were 33 million children who missed a dose.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the surge in cases is linked to an under vaccinated population globally.

There are a lot of reasons for that says Fitzgerald including ongoing conflict in the world, and in some cases, misinformation.

“A lot of people think that perhaps vaccines are no longer needed which is certainly not the case, the way that we maintain our immunity is to maintain our vaccination rates.”

Fitzgerald says vaccination rates in NL are high, and there have not been any cases of measles in this province “for quite some time.” She says the most recent cases in this province have been related to travel.