National: Urgent public health alert as bus users are warned they may have been exposed to measles

An urgent public health alert has been issued following a case of measles that was confirmed in the Dublin and Midlands health region earlier this week.

The HSE Department of Public Health in the region is advising anyone who travelled on the Bus Éireann 115 service (Dublin to Mullingar) between Tuesday,  January 30 and Monday, February 5 that they may have been exposed to the disease.

The public health alert, which was issued this Friday lunchtime, also applies to anyone who was in a restaurant in Mullingar Business Park, Co Westmeath on Monday, January 19 -  between 2pm and 4.30pm.

The HSE is advising those who may have been on the bus service or in the restaurant to be vigilant and to be on alert for symptoms of measles for 21 days from exposure. 

Anyone affected should be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles and ensure that they are vaccinated.

The death of an adult male who had contracted measles was confirmed earlier this week and on Thursday, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre confirmed there were nine suspected cases of measles among children in Ireland in the week leading up to last Saturday.

Two of the cases have been categorised as 'probable' cases. 

The signs and symptoms of measles include:

• Cold-like symptoms such as aches and pains, a runny nose, sneezing and a cough
• Sore red eyes that may be sensitive to light
• A temperature of 38C or above, which may reach around 40C
• Small greyish-white spots in the mouth
• Loss of appetite
• Tiredness, irritability and a general lack of energy
• Rash, which usually appears on head and neck first, and spreads to the rest of the body.

There were four measles cases reported in Ireland during 2023 up from two cases in 2022. There were no confirmed cases in 2021 and five cases were reported in 2020. 

There were no deaths reported in any of those years.