Ireland at risk of measles outbreak as parents opt out of MMR vaccine for kids

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has warned that Ireland is vulnerable to a measles outbreaks due to a lack of uptake of the MMR vaccine.

A recent report found that the mumps and rubella vaccine uptake has fallen 87% among junior infant schoolchildren.

Several measles outbreaks have been reported in the UK and Mr Donnelly said he is aiming to bring a memo to the government to work on increasing the uptake in this country.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus and is most common in children.