Warning issued to Kildare residents following confirmation of 2 cases of measles

Kildare residents have been warned about the threat of measles following the confirmation of two cases in Dublin this week.

Both cases involved people who travelled to mainland Europe, an adult and a child who may have contracted the extremely infectious virus abroad.

The HSE has been notified of two cases of measles in an adult and a child in Dublin who had recently been in mainland Europe and is asking people to be vigilant about measles.

The HSE have warned the public that if you think you may have measles, stay at home and phone your General Practitioner (GP) for advice.

Dr Helena Murray, Specialist in Public Health Medicine said, “Measles can be a serious illness and is highly infectious. The best protection is to be fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine”.

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 Public Health Department has sent an alert to all Emergency Departments and GPs in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to inform them to be vigilant about measles.

Vaccination with measles containing vaccine (MMR):

All children should get the MMR vaccine when they are aged 12 months. If any child aged over 12 months has missed this vaccine they should get it now from their GP.
All children should get a second dose of MMR vaccine when they are 4-5 years old or in Junior Infants at school. If any child in Senior Infants or older has missed this vaccine they should get it now from their GP.
Adults under 40 years who have not had measles or have not received 2 doses of MMR vaccine should contact their GP to get the MMR vaccine.
Adults over 40 years of age may sometimes be at risk and if such adults never had measles nor a measles containing vaccine they should consider getting the MMR vaccine from their GP.

Measles symptoms include:

High fever
Cough
Runny nose
Red eyes
Red rash that starts on head and spread down the body - this normally starts a few days after onset of illness. The rash consists of flat red or brown blotches, which can flow into each other. It lasts about 4-7 days
Vomiting, diarrhoea and tummy pain may also happen.

Measures to prevent the spread of measles if you think you may have measles:

Do not go to work, school or crèche.
Stay at home and phone your GP. Tell the doctor or nurse that you think you might have measles.
Stop visitors coming to the house to prevent the spread of measles.
Pregnant women who have been exposed to measles should seek medical advice as soon as possible.