Measles death recorded in Regional Hospital Mullingar

The death of a 48-year-old man to measles occurred in Regional Hospital Mullingar earlier this week.

It is the first reported case of the disease in Ireland this year, amid growing fears an outbreak is on the horizon.

The man is believed to have contracted measles following a recent trip to Birmingham in the UK.

He is also believed to have travelled on a bus from Dublin to Mullingar recently, which has sparked a contact tracing effort from the HSE who are looking to identify other passengers he may have come into contact with.

In a statement, they said: “The public health team in this region is managing the incident including contact tracing and other appropriate measures including vaccination, as per national guidelines."

Authorities are now on alert to identify other cases of measles around the country, of which there are nine currently suspected.

Just four cases of the disease were reported in Ireland last year and two the year previous – no deaths from the disease had occurred since 2019.

There were over 1,600 cases of measles in the UK last year, who are in the midst of tackling a potential mass outbreak.

Other European countries like France, Austria and Lithuania have also observed a rise in cases of the disease in recent months.

The HSE is now planning a new rollout of the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine aimed towards young people.

For anyone without an MMR vaccine, they are available for free through GP practices.

Symptoms of the disease can be similar to the common cold, such as a runny nose or cough, but can also include white spots appearing in the mouth, fever, and swollen eyes.