Man dies in Ireland after contracting measles

A person who had measles has died in a hospital in Ireland, the nation’s well being service government (HSE) has mentioned.

It is the primary confirmed measles case in Ireland in 2024.

There had been 4 measles instances reported within the nation in 2023 and two in 2022.

While no instances had been reported in 2021, there have been 5 recorded in 2020, the HSE mentioned, with no deaths reported in any of these years.

The man died in a hospital within the Dublin and Midlands well being area.

The HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre was notified of the person’s loss of life.

Read extra: What are the signs of measles?

“HSE public health teams, along with the HSE measles national incident management team (IMT), are taking all necessary public health actions in relation to the case,” the HSE mentioned in an announcement on Wednesday.

“The HSE measles IMT was established in response to a current rise in measles instances within the UK and Europe.

“The HSE will keep the public informed of further measures and, in the meantime, anyone with concerns should contact their GP.”

It comes after the World Health Organization warned of an “alarming” rise in instances throughout Europe.

Suspected instances of the illness have additionally been on the rise in England.

Last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) mentioned an ongoing measles outbreak within the West Midlands “remains a concern”.

They mentioned 127 instances of the illness had been confirmed throughout England in January, with 347 laboratory confirmed measles instances reported in England since 1 October final 12 months. In comparability, simply 53 instances had been confirmed in all of 2022.

Three quarters – or 260 – of those instances have been within the West Midlands, whereas 46 (13%) had been in London and 24 (7%) in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA’s guide epidemiologist, mentioned: “MMR vaccine coverage has been falling for the last decade with one out of 10 children starting school in England not protected and so there is a real risk that this outbreak could spread to other towns and cities.

“Measles is a nasty sickness for most kids and for some could be critical, however it’s utterly preventable.”

There had been 1,603 suspected instances of measles in England and Wales in 2023, UKHSA statistics confirmed earlier this 12 months.

Measles normally begins with cold-like signs, adopted by a rash a couple of days later. The NHS says some folks may get small spots of their mouth.