Pressroom

Source: Cork Independent

By: Evans, Yvonne

05/24/2012

An outbreak of measles in West Cork, Ireland, continues to grow, with 17 more cases reported in six days. In all, 42 cases have been reported in West Cork. Dr Fiona Ryan, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, called on parents to make sure their children are protected against the disease. “At the moment, the best way to ensure safety is to ensure that babies are not exposed to older children who may not be vaccinated and who are incubating the disease,” she said. “Some cases have unvaccinated brothers and sisters, so they are very likely to become infected. Unfortunately the symptoms are very non-specific before they get the rash.” Parents should make sure their children have received two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, and if no record of immunization is available, the child should be taken to the doctor for vaccination.