THE HSE SAYS that patients at the centre of a measles outbreak have been in the Kerry area and Dublin Airport in the last month.
The HSE Public Health Departments and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) continue to investigate an outbreak of the illness in Kerry, which was first flagged in early May.
Outbreak control teams have been convened in HSE East, Northeast, South, Southeast and Midwest regions. As of this week, 33 cases have been confirmed nationally.
Most of those affected are under ten and 70% haven’t had their MMR vaccination. In a minority of these cases, it was because they were aged less than one year and were not due the vaccine until 12 months.
Dr Kevin Kelleher, a HSE Consultant in Public Health stressed that they wanted “to maintain public and clinician awareness around the signs and symptoms of the condition and ensure that anyone with concerns addresses them immediately in order to receive a rapid diagnosis.
This in turn allows our public health teams to be fully responsive and in a position to implement all necessary control measures.
Dr Kelleher says measles is “highly infectious, [but] if cases are isolated early, the risk of transmission to vulnerable individuals decreases”.
The HSE says it has identified the following areas as places where infected patients were in June. They include Ballheigue and Tralee in Kerry from 1 June to 15 June, Bunmahon in Tipperary on 5 June and Dublin Airport on 22 and 24 June.
Measles symptoms include:
Those who develop symptoms should stay at home and phone their doctor, stopping visitors from coming to their house.
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