Holiday measles warning following outbreak in Europe

Irish holidaymakers with young children are being urged to ensure they are vaccinated against measles before travelling.

The warning comes as many European countries struggle to contain large outbreaks of the contagious disease. More than 4,000 cases have been recorded in Romania, with 18 measles related deaths there in the past six months. The UK, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and Poland have also reported outbreaks, a situation that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has attributed to "an accumulation of unvaccinated individuals". While the vaccination is generally given to 12-month-old infants, with a second dose at age four or five, doctors advise seeking out the vaccine for babies aged between six and 11 months if you plan on travelling to another European country in the coming months. World Health Organisation figures show that measles killed 134,000 worldwide in 2015. For further information on immunisation and travel, contact the HSE.