Measles alert for passengers on Abu Dhabi f light

A GROUP of passengers who flew into Dublin from Abu Dhabi have been asked to make urgent contact with the HSE, as it is feared they may have come into contact with a person with measles.

The HSE said there had been a confirmed case of the disease on Etihad Airways flight EY45 from Abu Dhabi to Dublin, which arrived on March 9 at 6.30am.

It is the third confirmed recent case of measles in Ireland.

HSE Public Health is asking passengers to contact HSELive on 1800 700 700, or 00 353 1 240 8787 if calling from outside of Ireland, as soon as possible.

A spokesperson said: ‘For any passenger on this flight who is a pregnant woman, immunocompromised, or under the age of 12 months old, please immediately contact your local HSE Department of Public Health or HSELive.’

The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) said it had been notified on Monday that a third person had been confirmed as having measles in Ireland.

This person had travelled into the country on the March 9 flight.

‘HSE public health teams, along with the HSE Measles National Incident Management Team (IMT), are taking all necessary public health actions in relation to the case,’ it said.

All passengers have been asked to be aware of signs and symptoms of measles until Saturday, March 30 – which is 21 days from the time of possible exposure.

Signs and symptoms of measles include cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and a cough, sore red eyes, a temperature of 38C or above, and a rash, which usually appears on the head and neck first and then spreads.

The first confirmed case of measles in Ireland this year resulted in the death of a man in early February. Pat Gorman, 48, who had worked as a driver with Bus Éireann for 25 years, began feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms and a rash on February 1, following a trip to the UK.

He died on February 7.