Measles vaccine drive to counter outbreak

Health authorities are to roll out a national measles vaccination campaign following a serious outbreak of the potentially fatal disease in West Cork.

The programme, which will be introduced in all schools from September, will target secondary school students initially, and then be extended to include primary schools.

More than 50 students — two of whom have been hospitalised — have been infected following an outbreak in West Cork last month. Most of those affected are secondary school students at Schull Community College, but a number of primary school pupils have also been treated.