40 measles cases now confirmed as outbreak spreads outside mid-west

The current measles outbreak is continuing to spread, with more cases confirmed.

The number of people who have contracted the disease now stands at 40, the HSE has said. The majority of the cases are concentrated in Limerick city and the mid-west, though figures show that people in other parts of the country are also being infected. There have been six confirmed cases of the measles in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare, with another 12 potential cases, reports the Irish Times. There have been another five confirmed cases in the south-east of the country. The HSE has established a measles outbreak control team to look into suspected cases, warning that the outbreak is a serious public health issue. "Almost two thirds of cases are aged between 15 and 40 years demonstrating that measles is not just an illness of childhood," a spokesperson for the HSE told The Limerick Leader. "Half of the cases have been hospitalised." Measles can spread rapidly, the Mid West Community Health team said last month. One person with the disease can infect 90 per cent of the people around them who have not been immunised. The HSE has once again urged members of the public under the age of 40 to ensure that they are vaccinated against measles by getting the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) shot. The vaccine is being made available free from GPs for the duration of the outbreak.