The H.S.E. have issued an appeal for people to mind their health and consult a GP if worried after 38 new cases of measles have been reported in Ireland.
The new outbreak is believed to have been sparked when a patient from another European country flew in to Ireland and exposed other travelers to the highly infectious disease.
Members of the public are urged to look out for the symptoms.
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.
If you’re worried, you should see your doctor.
Dr Kevin Kelleher, Consultant in Public Health said; “measles is highly infectious, and if cases are isolated early, the risk of transmission to vulnerable individuals decreases. The time between exposure to the virus and developing measles rash is normally 14 days (range 7-21 days). People are infectious from 4 days before rash starts until 4 days after.”
People who are fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine are normally protected. Those most at risk are those who are not fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR, babies (younger than 12 months and too young to be vaccinated as part of routine programme), non-immune pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems if exposed.
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