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.

The latest figures from the HPSC show 320 notified cases of measles in Ireland since August 2009.

The health authorities have expressed concern that the outbreak may develop into a larger problem.

The HSE Southern Area has accounted for 127 cases, or almost 40% of the current total. In contrast, the HSE Eastern Area which includes the more densely populated counties of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow has recorded just 50 cases over the same period.

The results show that the Cork and Kerry region has an incident rate of 20.4 per 100,000 population compared with the greater Dublin region with a rate of just 3.3.

Nearly two-thirds of all recent measles cases were recorded in people who had not received the vaccination for the disease.

The first case of measles in this outbreak was identified last August in an adult working in a doctor’s practice in the HSE Southern Area. Two weeks later, another case was confirmed in a Roma child who attended another doctor in the same building.

Over the following six weeks, eight more cases linked to Travellers were notified to the health authorities in the Cork and Kerry region after which the incidence of measles spread to the wider population and other HSE areas.

According to the HPSC, 320 cases have been recorded in a 30-week period up to the end of February. Just 43 cases were notified in the previous 30-week period.

Almost 90% of cases in the outbreak occurred in people under 20 years of age with a fifth in children aged 1-2 years.

The HPSC study shows that 115 of the 320 cases of patients with measles had to be hospitalised, with an average stay of three days.

Despite routine immunisation programmes since 1985, major outbreaks of measles have continued to occur over the years including 1993 when more than 4,300 cases were recorded.

The uptake of the combined measles-mumps- rubella (MMR) vaccine has ranged from 69% to 91% in children aged 24 months on a quarterly basis since statistics were first compiled in 1999. The official target immunisation rate is 95%.

The HPSC study claims there are subpopulations in Ireland who are highly susceptible to the disease, including those who refuse the MMR vaccine and the socially disadvantaged.

A MMR catch-up campaign is being planned for schoolchildren aged 4-15 by the health authorities.