Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) is urging parents to make sure children and young people are up to date with their measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine due to a rise in cases in parts of the UK and Europe.
There have been no reported cases of measles in Ireland, RTÉ reported today, January 29, but the UK Health Security Agency has issued a warning amid a rapid rise in cases in parts of the Birmingham region since last October.
The HSE is advising people to be "vigilant and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of this highly contagious virus."
The MMR vaccine, the HSE says, protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
The HSE said in a statement on Monday: "Measles can be unpleasant and is a potentially serious and highly infectious disease that can spread easily through respiratory droplets.
"To safeguard our communities, the HSE recommends that people make sure they are up to date with MMR vaccine to prevent spread of the disease if cases occur in Ireland."
Dr. Lucy Jessop, Director of the National Immunisation Office, HSE said: “The importance of taking precautions to protect both the individual and the community from measles cannot be understated.
"While measles is preventable through vaccination, the virus spreads very quickly between people who are not vaccinated and can have severe consequences, particularly for babies and vulnerable groups.
“Getting vaccinated against diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella is vitally important as these conditions can also lead to other serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss, and problems during pregnancy.
"Remember, if you or your child has missed their childhood vaccines, it’s not too late to catch up.”
The MMR vaccine is a part of Ireland's HSE's childhood vaccination programme, though the HSE notes that people, including children, "can be vaccinated at any time if you have not been fully vaccinated before."
The HSE adds: "If you're not sure of your vaccination history, having the vaccine again will not cause any harm."
GP Dr. Ilona Duffy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that around 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated against measles to ensure that everyone is protected but said that figure is currently below 90%.
Dr. Duffy added that data from the US indicates that one in five people who develop measles will be hospitalized, while one in a thousand will develop swelling on the brain.
She said measles in the US has been fatal in one to three of every thousand cases.
Dr. Duffy added that there are a number of reasons for the fall in Ireland's vaccination rate against measles, including the arrival of people in Ireland who do not believe in the benefit of the vaccine.
She also said people may have forgotten about the benefits of vaccines and the seriousness of measles, mumps, and rubella.
"When we had lots of cases of measles, mumps, rubella and other more serious illnesses, people understood how deeply serious they were and how they could lead to death and permanent disability," Dr. Duffy told Morning Ireland.
"But because we aren't seeing that and that's not been reported, and people have forgotten the benefit of the vaccines and the need for them."
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