Measles rate seven times higher in the south

THE outbreak of measles in Cork and Kerry is running up to seven times the rate of the infection in many other parts of the country.

A new study from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) also indicates a substantial number of cases in the early stages of a outbreak occurred in the HSE Southern Area – which covers both counties.

These cases were linked to Travellers and members of the Roma community and, to a lesser extent, citizens from Eastern Europe and children whose parents objected to vaccination.