Parents are being urged to ensure their child is protected against measles before travelling over the Easter break.
The HSE says some children may have missed out on their Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccines due to disruption caused by Covid.
The MMR vaccine is given in two doses, the first at 12 months of age and the second in junior infants in school.
Already in 2023, outbreaks of measles have been reported in a number of countries, including the United States, South Africa, Nepal and Austria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned about the risk of measles in children as a result of low MMR vaccination following the pandemic.
Dr Suzanne Cotter, Specialist in Public Health Medicine, HSE-Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), says the only protection against measles is vaccination.
"Two doses of MMR vaccine are needed and if a child is not fully protected then MMR vaccines can be obtained from your GP or travel health clinic.
“Measles is highly infectious and can be an acute and serious infection. It causes a rash illness, with cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and high fever. Complications of measles include ear infections, pneumonia, febrile seizures and less commonly encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and even death".
HSE Immunisation Lead and Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Dr Lucy Jessop, says if a child has missed their MMR vaccines it’s not too late to get protected.
“Most recent available information on the uptake of the second dose of MMR in Ireland for children in the 2020/2021 school year was 88%. This is down from 91% reported for the 2019/2020 school year.
"Both of these uptake rates are well below the 95% uptake rates recommended by WHO to stop measles transmission and indicate gaps in immunity".
