The number of measles cases is increasing in Europe and Great Britain. Now, for the first time in years, a man in Ireland has died as a result of a measles infection.
A man has died in Ireland from the infectious disease measles. This is reported by the British TV channels BBC and Sky, among others. It is the first confirmed case of measles in the country in 2024. There have been a total of eleven cases of measles since 2020, but no one has died, says Ireland’s public health authority, the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The National Measles Control Team (IMT) stated that they are “taking all necessary public health measures regarding the case.” The group was founded after a spike in cases in Europe.
Cases rising in Europe and the UK
There have recently been warnings about the infectious disease in both Europe and the United Kingdom. There are increasing cases because more and more people are foregoing the measles vaccination. This is also confirmed by Breda Smyth, Ireland’s chief medical officer. She was “very worried.” There is a “high risk” that there will be an outbreak of measles in the country. She encourages everyone to get vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. You can read about the current measles situation in Germany here.
In Ireland, less than 90 percent of people are vaccinated against the infectious disease. A rate of around 95 percent is necessary so that measles does not spread, said Smyth.
WHO sounds the alarm
Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases of all. The virus is transmitted, for example, when coughing, sneezing or speaking. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and a reddish-brown rash. The virus can cause serious complications such as brain inflammation and, even after several years, a very rare but fatal long-term consequence – subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). SSPE is extremely rare in the United States and Western Europe because of widespread measles vaccination.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) also sounded the alarm for Europe. Between January and October 2023, 30 times as many measles cases were registered in the region as in the entire previous year.