CABINET WILL RECEIVE an update from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly today on the measures taken and being put in place to deal with any possible measles outbreak.

Following a rapid risk assessment carried out by the HSE last month, the probability of the introduction and transmission of measles in Ireland is high, Donnelly is due to tell his Government colleagues.

There have been increasing numbers of measles cases notified in Europe since the beginning of 2023.

In England, over 170 measles cases have been diagnosed in the West Midlands region between December last and mid-January.

In Ireland, sporadic measles cases continue to be reported to the HSE.

Since 2020, most confirmed cases reported recent travel to countries where outbreaks were ongoing.

A total of four measles cases were reported last year in Ireland. These four cases were part of a family outbreak with all cases being between three and nine years of age. The index case was imported from outside the EU.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness. It starts with cold-like symptoms that develop about 10 days after a person gets infected. The person will then get a measles rash a few days later.

The illness usually lasts seven to 10 days.

Vaccine

The only protection against measles is vaccination.

MMR vaccine uptake in Ireland is currently below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended target uptake of 95%. Nationally, uptake has been below 90% for seven consecutive quarters.

There are also significant geographic variations with uptake rates below 80% in Louth and Meath, but as high as 94% in Dublin southwest.

High level of non-immunity may relate to misinformation in the past regarding the MMR vaccine which falsely implicated it with a risk of autism. 

Andrew Wakefield authored a paper, published in The Lancet in 1998, which falsely linked the MMR vaccine with autism. Wakefield was struck off in 2010 and the journal fully retracted the paper, which had already been widely discredited in 2004. 

Measures being taken

Since Spring 2023, the HSE and Department of Health have been issuing communications to the public to raise awareness and encourage parents to bring their children forward for vaccination.

In May 2023, the Minister for Health added measles to the list of notifiable infectious diseases which requires immediate preliminary notification by phone to a Medical Officer for Health. This means medical practitioners must urgently notify suspected cases of measles.

The timing of the MMR2 vaccination offered in junior infants has moved from the second school term to the first to try and ensure protection as early as possible.

An MMR catch-up programme was also launched in November 2023 through GPs so that unvaccinated/incompletely vaccinated patients could opt-in. Those eligible are children aged between 14 months and 10 years old inclusive who didn’t receive the MMR vaccine when they were 12 months old, and/or age four to five years old in junior infants.

HSE regions have also been testing their response plans and systems in the event of measles cases being detected.

The HSE is exploring developing a proposal for an MMR catch-up programme in Leaving Cert students, and also the possibility of a campaign in colleges and higher educational institutions.

Cybercrime

Separately, Justice Minister Helen McEntee is to seek approval from Cabinet to draft new legislation to help Gardaí tackle cybercrime.

The General Scheme for the Criminal Justice (Protection, Preservation and Access to Data on Information Systems) Bill 2024 is aimed at ensuring that gardaí have access to the most up-to-date and effective powers for getting quick access to criminal evidence which is in digital form.

Traditional search and seize legislation was drafted to target physical spaces and objects, but does not take account of criminal activity that occurs online with digital footprints accessible only on private cloud infrastructures. 

The new Bill will provide tools to enable Gardaí to access online evidence easily and efficiently while ensuring that people’s privacy rights are respected. 

Under the legislation, Gardaí will be able to apply for preservation and production orders to be served on internet service providers. That will oblige them to preserve and produce digital evidence held on their systems.