Measles case confirmed as HSE seeks to prevent further transmission

The HSE stated that anyone who has not had the measles, or two doses of the MMR vaccine, and may have been in Dublin or Kerry in the week up to and including the May Bank Holiday, could be at risk.

Symptoms include a runny nose, irritability, red eyes, a hacking cough and an increasing fever that comes and goes. These symptoms usually last 2-4 days, and can be mistaken for a cold.

A measles rash usually appears about four days after the early symptoms. The rash typically starts on the forehead and spreads downwards, over the face, neck and body.

The rash consists of flat red or brown blotches, which can flow into each other. It lasts about 4-7 days. Symptoms may also include diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Senior consultant in public health medicine Dr Kevin Kelleher said that they want to stop the disease from spreading.

"It's an incredibly infectious disease, and so we really do try to work very hard to make sure that other people aren't being infected or if they are, get them the appropriate treatment," he said.

"So it's a very active process.

"Now in this case, we've identified the vast majority of people who were involved, but there are some people who may have had some contact and that's why we're going public about it at the moment."

He added: "Most people will have nothing to worry about as the vast majority of the population have been fully vaccinated.

"We are being very cautious in this instance because measles is potentially a serious condition.

"We are currently very close to eliminating measles here in Ireland."