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FAMILY DOCTORS ARE advising parents that young infants eligible for the MMR vaccine should receive an additional dose before travelling abroad as the contagious illness spikes across Europe.
The Irish College of GPs, the representative organisation in education and standards in general practice, has recommended that infants between six and 11 months should receive an addition MMR vaccine at least two weeks before travelling overseas.
A statement issued by the professional body this morning is reminding the public that measles “is a potentially serious and highly infectious disease and is preventable through vaccination”.
Dr Scott Walkin, the College’s Clinical Lead for Infection Control, has outlined that measles is spreading rapidly in Europe.
“Getting the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent cases of measles. It is a highly contagious disease. It is easily passed from person to person, where large number of people congregate, including airports, buses, trains and ferries,” Dr Walkin said.
“People at greatest risk of becoming ill with measles include infants and people who are not fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine,” he said.
“Young babies are at particular risk of complications. Overseas travel presents a high risk of developing measles for unvaccinated children. It can be a severe illness which requires hospitalisation in about one in five cases. Vaccination is safe, effective and it’s essential for community immunity.”
There have been at least 47 cases of measles confirmed in Ireland so far in 2024.
In Europe, the incidence of measles has skyrocketed over the last year.
56,634 measles cases and four deaths have been officially reported across 45 out of 53 countries in the World Health Organisation’s European Region during the first three months of 2024 alone.
In 2023, there were 61,070 cases and 13 deaths reported by 41 countries in the European region.
Nearly half of the reported cases in 2023 were in children under the age of five, which the WHO has said reflects “an accumulation of children who missed routine vaccinations against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with slow recovery in vaccination coverage in 2021 and 2022″.
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:
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Glad I never took a vaccine
@Exhausted Jim: are you against all vaccines Jim? Or do you have anything in particular against the MMR vaccine?
@Exhausted Jim: Never taken one or never given any?
@Exhausted Jim: Chitpost by you given no argument was made in your comment. Well done sir! I applaud your indolence.
@Kevin Collins: all of them
@Exhausted Jim: Why is that? If you are the age depicted by your avatar, have you already forgotten the horrors of polio and smallpox? Child mortality rates have collapsed in your lifetime, and this is directly attributable to vaccines.
@Kevin Collins: lots of unexplained deaths of young people too, Kevin
@Exhausted Jim: I’d say you did, Jim.
@Exhausted Jim: Glad I don’t know you.
@Exhausted Jim: as I outline above, if young people did not take vaccines, there would be FAR more deaths of young people. Simply put, what do you think is more dangerous, taking vaccines or NOT taking vaccines?
@Kevin Collins: He knows the answer but refuses it anyway. Or maybe he is just that ignorant of facts, who knows?
@Exhausted Jim: people like you are an embarrassment to society
@Ulysses 31: You’re riddled with grime nonetheless.
@Exhausted Jim: Clown.
@Exhausted Jim: more like anyone under 50 dies: Syringe emoji and no effort to look further into it.
@Exhausted Jim: You and the 92 people who upvoted are on the lower end of the IQ spectrum.
Probably under 70.
Glad I took vaccines!
@Injustice Cop: I’m with you. I’ve taken all my vaccines and haven’t had a cold since 2019, and that’s my truth.
@Annette: Thanks Annette for being a voice of common sense, reason and, moreover, stating an experience with your position rather than lazily stating your position with zero experience / arguments. Some people forget or choose to be ignorant of how important vaccines are for a number of reasons. For example, where did Polio go?
Who’s advising the GPs?
@Pól Pot: if it’s the WHO or the HSE, best to ignore them
@Exhausted Jim: WHY because you listen to conspiracies. Just got through watching the documentary about Alex Jones a dreadful human being who just spreads lies. Yet none of you can back up anything because it’s all made up.
@Pól Pot: people with actual medical qualifications who male decisions based on verified data, not loons seeking confirmation bias on YouTube
@Ulysses 31: You’re also best ignored.
Why would anyone take such a young baby abroad??
@Athena: people like to travel, visit family, go on holidays. It’s safe to travel at that age provided the parents are responsible and the child has no obvious physical or mental limitations.
@Athena: what a silly comment.
@Ian: How so? There is no need to bring a young baby on a holiday, upsetting its routine, diet, acclimatization.
For what? Happy snappy social media photos that no one ever looks at for a second time?
@Athena: We brought our baby and later toddler on holidays several different European countries and overall, they had a great time. They really enjoyed themselves and got to experience something different in what can be described as very formative years. Slept most of the time on the plane. No material different to their routine. No more or fewer upsets and sulks. I took a load of photos, none of which went on social media and were shared privately within our tiny family group. You’re prone to jumping to conclusions and are judgemental.
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