EIGHTY-ONE MEASLES cases have been confirmed in Ireland to date this year, according to the latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Of the 81 confirmed cases, 38 are males, 40 are females and the gender was not recorded for three cases.

Thirteen outbreaks – where two or more confirmed cases are related – have occurred so far in 2024.

The outbreaks occurred in private households, schools or residential institutions, within a community or in a hospital. There were between two and 12 confirmed cases in each outbreak.

HPSC HPSC

In addition to the confirmed cases above, there are 13 cases of suspected measles currently under investigation.

Each suspected case of measles needs to be tested in a laboratory before being confirmed as measles or denotified.

Symptoms 

Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious complications, particularly in children under one year of age, pregnant women, and the immunosuppressed.

It typically starts with cold-like symptoms that develop about 10 days after a person gets infected. The person will get a rash a few days later.

Symptoms include:

• Cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and a cough
• 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

The illness usually lasts for seven to 10 days. You can read more in our explainer on the disease here.

Vaccine

A new MMR (measles, mumps and rubella vaccine) catch-up vaccination programme was rolled out earlier this year.

Some 310,000 people are eligible for the vaccine under the programme which is estimated to cost €4.6 million. The vaccines are being administered by GPs and HSE vaccination teams.

Under the new programme, children and young adults not already vaccinated are being prioritised for vaccination.

The next priority group is healthcare workers, followed by underserved groups such as homeless people, refugees and international protection applicants.