United Nations, Jumada I 6, 1436, Feb 25, 2015, SPA -- The World Health Organization (WHO) called Wednesday for measles vaccination campaigns to intensify across Europe after recording 22,000 cases of the highly infectious disease since the beginning of 2014. Saying she was shocked by the high case number, Zuzanna Jakab, the U.N. health agency’s European director, said the 22,149 cases from seven countries threatened the region’s goal of eliminating measles by the end of 2015. Even though measles cases fell by 50 percent from 2013 to 2014, large outbreaks continue in both eastern and western Europe, the WHO said. Kyrgyzstan has seen 7,477 measles cases since the start of last year, while Russia has had more than 32,420, Italy 1,674, and Germany 583. Measles is a contagious and sometimes deadly viral disease which can spread very quickly among unvaccinated children. There is no specific treatment, and most people recover within a few weeks, but in malnourished children and people with reduced immunity, measles can cause serious complications. --SPA 17:54 LOCAL TIME 14:54 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w