The HSE has confirmed the death of a man from measles, the first case of the year in Ireland.
The HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Center said the man died in hospital in the Dublin Midlands Health Region.
The report said public health teams, together with the HSE Measles National Incident Management Team (IMT), are taking all necessary public health measures in relation to this incident.
The team was established in response to the recent increase in measles cases in the UK and mainland Europe.
The HSE said it was offering the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, to all children as part of the childhood immunization schedule.
Anyone with concerns should contact their GP.
[ Measles Q&A: How do I know if I have measles, and what should I do if I have it? ]
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly briefed Cabinet on Tuesday, saying a significant increase in measles cases reported in Europe this winter and a decline in MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination coverage in Ireland have led to the disease becoming more widespread. He said there were growing concerns about widespread transmission. Ireland in 2024.
In some counties, one-fifth of the population has no protection against measles due to low vaccination rates.
The World Health Organization has issued an urgent measles warning after an “alarming” 30-fold increase in the number of infections across Europe. More than 30,000 infections were reported in the first nine months of last year, but fewer than 1,000 for all of 2022.
[ Ireland has lowest immunisation rate for measles in Western Europe, according to ECDC ]
In England, 170 measles cases were reported in the West Midlands between December 2023 and mid-January 2024.
Ireland recorded just four cases last year, which occurred within a single family and were imported from outside the EU. This year, as of January 27, no cases of infection have been reported.
There were two cases in 2022. No cases were reported in 2021, while five cases were recorded in 2020, with no deaths reported in either of those years, the HSE said.
The only prevention against measles is vaccination. Uptake of the MMR vaccine in Ireland is currently below 95% of the target uptake recommended by the World Health Organization. Nationally, the adoption rate has been below 90% for seven consecutive quarters.
Measles is highly contagious and often causes a rash, but the virus can spread throughout the body and cause serious complications.
The first symptoms usually take about 7 to 14 days to appear, and infected people usually suffer from symptoms such as high fever, cough, runny or stuffy nose, bloodshot and watery eyes, and a rash appears several days later.
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