Republic one of 7 countries at risk of measles epidemic

IRELAND has one of the worst records in Europe at fighting measles and is at risk of an epidemic, the World Health Organisation has warned.

And there are thousands of children in Ireland at risk of contracting the disease, which can have devastating consequences, according to the state’s public health watchdog.

The WHO names Ireland as one of seven countries at risk of an epidemic as a result of the high susceptibility in children and in some cases, adults, to the disease.