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March 20, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"MMR: Low Vaccination Rates Leave Ireland Vulnerable to Measles Epidemic" Irish Times (www.ireland.com) (03/19/02) P. 53

Ireland is currently extremely vulnerable to a measles epidemic. In Ireland, the uptake of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is below 70 percent; an uptake rate of at least 90 percent is necessary to prevent an outbreak of those diseases. Should a measles outbreak occur, one in 15 Irish children who contract the disease will suffer from serious complications, such as encephalitis, convulsion, or bronchitis.  Two years ago, three children in Dublin died after contracting the disease.  Moreover, an outbreak of mumps could lead to deafness and viral meningitis in some children.

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