THE HSE has warned the Irish public to be wary after a measles outbreak spread in Dublin and Meath with 17 confirmed cases.
Most of the 12 cases in the Irish capital are in north Dublin, while the smaller outbreak in Co. Meath has seen five recent diagnoses.
Speaking to RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland today, Dr Deirdre Mulholland of the HSE warned that measles is a “very serious” illness and is highly contagious.
"This is a very serious disease and can have very serious consequences and it is also a highly infectious disease,” she said.
"It's important that we can get the message out there that measles is circulating in the community.
"The best protection is to be fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine.”
Dr Mulholland told the Irish public to look out for "red eyes, a runny nose, high temperature, and a rash that starts in the head and spreads down the body" as symptoms of the illness.
"Some people can weather it quite well whereas we can have other people who become seriously ill with it and can develop other complications and end up in hospital,” she continued.
“What we find is that from first exposure, it would usually show up within 14 days but it can take up to 21 days.”
When people develop the rash, they are usually infectious for four days before and four days after – a period Dr Mulholland dubbed "the real infectious period that people need to be very aware of".
Reiterating the call for MMR vaccinations, she added: "It doesn’t just protect yourself.
"It protects your family and your community and the vulnerable people in the community”.
