Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Jun 20, 2024 20:37:41 GMT
Measles: Man dies in Ireland, while cases in West Midlands remain “disproportionately high” - Published Feb 9, 2024
A man has died in hospital in Ireland after contracting measles, the country’s Health Service Executive has confirmed.1 Irish media have reported that the man, in his late 40s, had recently travelled to Birmingham, where cases of measles are continuing to rise.
The UK Health Security Agency said, “A disproportionately high rate continues to be seen in the West Midlands, with a sharp rise in case numbers over the last six weeks, mainly driven by cases in Birmingham.”
On 8 February the Irish Health Protection Surveillance Centre confirmed that an adult with confirmed measles died in a hospital in the Dublin and Midlands health region.2
It is the first measles case notified in Ireland in 2024. Four cases were reported in 2023, two in 2022, none in 2021, and five in 2020. No deaths were reported in any of these years.
The Health Service Executive has set up a measles national incident management team in response to the recent rises in cases in the UK and Europe.
In England, a further 118 cases have been laboratory confirmed in the week to 8 February, bringing the number of cases confirmed since 1 October 2023 to 465.3
The UK Health Security Agency said that 325 of these cases (71%) have been in the West Midlands, with 13% in London and 7% in Yorkshire. Two thirds of cases (66%) are in children aged under 10 years old. Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said, “The measles outbreak in the West Midlands continues to be a concern.”
On 19 January the agency declared the current outbreak in Birmingham a national incident, allowing it to put more resources into tackling the problem.4
A man has died in hospital in Ireland after contracting measles, the country’s Health Service Executive has confirmed.1 Irish media have reported that the man, in his late 40s, had recently travelled to Birmingham, where cases of measles are continuing to rise.
The UK Health Security Agency said, “A disproportionately high rate continues to be seen in the West Midlands, with a sharp rise in case numbers over the last six weeks, mainly driven by cases in Birmingham.”
On 8 February the Irish Health Protection Surveillance Centre confirmed that an adult with confirmed measles died in a hospital in the Dublin and Midlands health region.2
It is the first measles case notified in Ireland in 2024. Four cases were reported in 2023, two in 2022, none in 2021, and five in 2020. No deaths were reported in any of these years.
The Health Service Executive has set up a measles national incident management team in response to the recent rises in cases in the UK and Europe.
In England, a further 118 cases have been laboratory confirmed in the week to 8 February, bringing the number of cases confirmed since 1 October 2023 to 465.3
The UK Health Security Agency said that 325 of these cases (71%) have been in the West Midlands, with 13% in London and 7% in Yorkshire. Two thirds of cases (66%) are in children aged under 10 years old. Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said, “The measles outbreak in the West Midlands continues to be a concern.”
On 19 January the agency declared the current outbreak in Birmingham a national incident, allowing it to put more resources into tackling the problem.4