Nine suspected cases of measles in Ireland recorded in one week

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

There have been nine suspected cases of measles in Ireland in the most recent week for which data is available.

Health authorities have warned that there is a risk of measles outbreaks in Ireland due to its population immunity dropping below the required rate.

On Wednesday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said an adult who had been diagnosed with measles had died in a hospital in the Leinster area.

According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, between January 28th and February 3rd, there were three suspected cases in the east, three in the midlands, two in the midwest and one in the south health region.

Seven of the cases were among children aged up to four years old, and two were children aged between five and nine years old.

None of the cases are confirmed cases of measles, two cases were noted as “probable” cases and seven were described as “possible” cases.

There has been an increase in cases across Europe in recent months, with more than 170 measles cases diagnosed in the West Midlands in England between December 2023 and mid-January.

In Ireland, four measles cases were reported in 2023, two in 2022, none reported in 2021, five in 2020, with no deaths reported in any of those years.

Chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said that it was the first death of a person with measles in Ireland in many years and “a reminder of how serious it can be”.

“Ensure your child receives MMR vaccine as part of immunisation schedule or as part of catch-up to 10 years through GP if you have missed out,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

Around 95 per cent of the population needs to have the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to stop the virus spreading, but Ireland’s national rate is at around 89.2 per cent, with rates as low as 80 per cent in some areas.

An MMR catch-up programme launched in November 2023 through GPs is aimed at giving immunity to those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. The vaccine is free from GPs for children aged 10 and under.