FOUR MORE MEASLES cases have been confirmed in Ireland, bringing the number of confirmed cases this year to thirty.

The latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) show that the number of suspected cases has also risen, jumping from 17 to 21.

Five outbreaks have occurred so far in 2024, all of which occurred in private houses and involved between two and four cases.

Of the 30 confirmed cases this year, the majority have been among children and young adults aged 34 or under.

Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious complications. Particularly vulnerable groups are children under one year of age, pregnant women, and people who are immunosuppressed. 

Suspected cases of measles are tested in a laboratory before being either officially confirmed as measles or denotified. Several possible measles cases have been declassified in recent weeks.

A measles infection tends to start with cold-like symptoms that develop about 10 days after a person is infected, followed a few days later by a rash. Symptoms include:

• Cold-like symptoms (eg runny nose, sneezing, coughing)
• Sore, red eyes
• A temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above
• A rash, which usually appear on the head and neck before spreading to the rest of the body.