Tragic Fatality: Irish Adult Succumbs to Measles Complications in Hospital

An adult in Ireland has died in hospital after contracting measles, according to the country's Health Service Executive (HSE). This is the first confirmed measles case in Ireland this year. HSE data shows that there were four cases of measles in 2023, two in 2022, none in 2021, and five in 2020, with no reported deaths during those years. Health officials in Europe and the UK have been warning of increasing measles cases due to declining vaccination rates. The adult who died was in a hospital in the Dublin and Midlands health region, which covers the Leinster province. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has been notified by the HSE. The Measles National Incident Management Team and public health teams are taking necessary actions related to the case. Professor Breda Smyth, Ireland's Chief Medical Officer, expressed serious concern about the high risk of a measles outbreak in the country and urged people to get vaccinated. Smyth shared a video on social media, originally posted last month, revealing that vaccination rates had dropped below 90% nationwide and below 80% in some Irish counties. According to the HPSC, most confirmed measles cases in Ireland since 2020 were linked to travel in countries experiencing outbreaks. Measles is highly contagious and can be severe at any age, with symptoms including a high fever and a rash that typically clears within 10 days. Complications can include pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, and seizures. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a significant increase of almost 45 times in measles cases in Europe last year, with 42,200 infections in 2023 compared to 941 in 2022. The MMR vaccine, given in two doses, is crucial in preventing the disease. The WHO attributes the rise in cases to lower vaccination rates during the Covid-19 pandemic, with European vaccination rates dropping from 96% to 93% for the first dose of MMR vaccine and from 92% to 91% for the second dose. Consequently, over 1.8 million children in Europe missed receiving the measles vaccination in those two years. Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director at the WHO, emphasized that vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease. Suspected cases of measles have also been increasing in England, with ongoing outbreaks in the West Midlands being a cause of concern, as stated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) last week.