One case of measles has been diagnosed in Northern Ireland – the first in seven years.
The Public Health Agency says close contacts have been notified and all appropriate public health actions are being undertaken.
Children and young adults on both sides of the border who have not received both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are being urged to do so as soon as possible, to reduce their risk of catching and spreading measles.
The measles outbreak is growing rapidly in Europe and the UK, as public health officials in Ireland are concerned about falling vaccination rates.
The uptake of the MMR vaccine has fallen in recent years in the Republic Ireland and is less than the 95% target set by the WHO. Vaccination rates in Ireland for the first dose of the MMR vaccine have fallen to 89.2% since the beginning of the pandemic.
In Donegal, the uptake is further below target at 81.2%.
On Wednesday 7th February, a 48-year-old man with the first confirmed case of measles in Ireland this year died in the Dublin and Midlands Health Region.
