More people have been diagnosed with measles in Europe in the first six months of 2018 than in the previous two years.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is reporting 41,000 cases across the continent so far this year - with 37 deaths.

That compares to fewer than 5,500 recorded in the whole of 2016.

A total of 13 cases have been reported to the HSE in Ireland in recent weeks – bringing the total to 76 for the current year.

The health service is particularly concerned about the risk of measles at Temple Street Children's Hospital since the 25th of July.

Anyone who attended the hospital on any of the dates above who develops measles symptoms is urged to stay at home and contact a GP.

The risk of measles remains for up to 21 days after contact with a case.

Vaccine

Kingston Mills, Professor of Immunology at Trinity College said the recent outbreak in Europe is partly to do with vaccine uptakes.

“To be 95% effective you need to have 95% coverage and Ireland right now is pretty good, it actually has 92% coverage,” he said.

“That is 92% of children are getting the first dose of the MMR vaccine – which they would get at 12 to 15 months of age.

“Now they do need a second dose which is given pre-school at four or five-years-of-age.

“The statistics on that are not as clear; whether they are getting the second dose.”

According to the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre there were a total of 25 cases of measles in Ireland last year.

Meanwhile, WHO statistics show there were 95 cases of measles between July 2017 and June 2018.

The measles vaccine was first introduced in Ireland in 1985 – a year in which the country saw nearly 10,000 cases of the disease.

By 1991 the number of cases had dropped to 135.

Holidays

The WHO is warning anyone who is planning on heading out on holidays should ensure they are fully vaccinated against the illness.

The organisation said seven European countries - France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Ukraine – have seen over 1,000 cases so far this year.

Ukraine has been the hardest hit, with over 23,000 people affected.

“Following the decade’s lowest number of cases in 2016, we are seeing a dramatic increase in infections and extended outbreaks,” says Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

“We call on all countries to immediately implement broad, context-appropriate measures to stop further spread of this disease.

“Good health for all starts with immunization, and as long as this disease is not eliminated we are failing to live up to our Sustainable Development Goal commitments.”