Urgent health alert issued after measles case confirmed on flight from Abu Dhabi to Dublin

The flight arrived in Dublin on Saturday, March 9 at 6.30am. File photo

The HSE has issued an urgent public health alert after a case of measles was confirmed on a flight that arrived in Dublin in recent days.

It is the third case confirmed in Ireland.

The HSE is asking some passengers who travelled on Etihad Airways flight EY45 from Abu Dhabi to Dublin to come forward.

The flight arrived in Dublin on Saturday, March 9 at 6.30am.

Any passenger who is pregnant, immunocompromised, or under 12 months, should immediately contact their local HSE Department of Public Health or HSELive on 1800 700 700 or 00 353 1 240 8787 for those calling from outside of Ireland.

Other passengers who were on the flight should be aware of any signs and symptoms which could appear up to Saturday, March 30 - 21 days from the time of initial possible exposure.

These include:

• cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and a cough;
• sore red eyes;
• a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above;
• rash, which usually appears on the head and neck first and spreads to the rest of the body.

Any person who believes they have these symptoms or if they become ill should remain at home in a separate room from others in the home.

They should seek healthcare advice immediately and phone ahead prior to attending any healthcare setting to make them aware of the symptoms so they can make any necessary arrangements.

Any passengers of the flight in question who have further travel arrangements should not travel if they are experiencing symptoms.

The HSE Public Health teams are continuing to work with Etihad Airways on this matter.

The public are reminded that the best way to protect against measles is by getting two MMR vaccinations that can be arranged with a GP.