THE HSE HAS issued a warning to the public to be vigilant after two confirmed cases of measles in an adult and a child in Dublin.

The two measles cases attended a number of hospitals in Dublin between 1 July and 16 July, while they were most infectious.

Click here for larger version

The HSE has asked people not to contact the hospitals if they think they have come in contact with a case of measles, but to seek advice from their GP if they become unwell.

Dr Helena Murray, who is a specialist in public health medicine said measles “can be a serious illness and is highly infectious”.

There is a possible risk of measles to people who may have been in the same healthcare setting as these two cases during the infectious period.

People at increased risk are those who are not fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine or have not had measles in the past. The risk of measles is for up to 21 days after contact with a case of measles.

The HSE’s Public Health Department has also sent an alert to all Emergency Departments and GPs in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.

Measles symptoms include:

• High fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red eyes
• Red rash that start on the head and spreads
• Vomiting, diarrhoea and tummy pain.

If you think you have measles:

• Do not go to work, school or crèche
• Stay at home and phone your GP to tell them you might have measles
• Stop visitors coming to the house to prevent the spread of measles
• If you are pregnant, seek medical advice as soon as possible.

There are on-going outbreaks of measles in multiple countries in the European region and worldwide. Most of the cases in the EU in 2018 were reported from Romania, France, Greece, and Italy.

The majority of people who get measles on holiday do not know they were exposed until they develop disease. Unrecognised exposures to measles have occurred at airports, on planes, at concerts, in shops and health care settings.

In 2018, 31 deaths associated with measles have been reported in EU countries.