Second measles case in Ireland confirmed
The measles case is understood to be a teenager and was confirmed recently
A second measles case in Ireland has been confirmed by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).
RTÉ has reported that the case is understood to be a teenager.
HSE public health teams, along with the HSE Measles National Incident Management Team (IMT), are taking all necessary public health actions in relation to the case.
The HSE Measles IMT was established in response to a recent rise in measles cases in the UK and Europe. The HSE will keep the public informed of further measures as required and, in the meantime, anyone with concerns should contact their GP.
This catch-up programme will prioritise the following as uptake rates are currently lower in these groups:
- Children and young adults
- Healthcare workers
- Underserved groups such as refugees, applicants seeking protection and the homeless community.
Current public health advice indicates that people born in Ireland before 1978 are likely to have been exposed to measles as children and, therefore, unlikely to require MMR vaccine.
Further details of the MMR catch-up programme will be announced shortly.
MMR vaccines protects against measles, mumps and rubella. MMR vaccine uptake in Ireland is below the WHO recommended target of 95% uptake, which is required to prevent measles circulating.
The HSE advice is to make contact by phone first.
The death of an adult male who had contracted measles was confirmed earlier this year.
The signs and symptoms of measles include:
- Cold-like symptoms such as aches and pains, a runny nose, sneezing and a cough
- Sore red eyes that may be sensitive to light
- A temperature of 38C or above, which may reach around 40C
- Small greyish-white spots in the mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Tiredness, irritability and a general lack of energy
- Rash, which usually appears on head and neck first, and spreads to the rest of the body.
There were four measles cases reported in Ireland during 2023 up from two cases in 2022. There were no confirmed cases in 2021 and five cases were reported in 2020.
There were no deaths reported in any of those years.