Romania is experiencing the European Union's most severe measles crisis, recording more than 35,000 cases and at least 30 deaths between 2023 and 2025, with 87% of all EU measles cases reported there in 2024 alone. The outbreak is driven by a sharp decline in uptake of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine — national coverage for the second dose stands at just over 60%, and as low as 20% in some communities, well short of the 95% threshold required for herd immunity. Doctors and public health experts warn that a combination of overstretched general practitioners, structural barriers to access, poverty, and online misinformation has created conditions for repeated epidemics, with another serious outbreak considered likely unless urgent systemic reforms are made.