AN urgent travel warning has been issued to Irish holidaymakers planning to head away this Easter with their children.
People are being urged to check their MMR vaccine status before any scheduled trips in the coming weeks and months.
A number of European countries are reporting new measles cases every week, including one in Northern Ireland last week and 56 new cases across the UK in the first two weeks of February.
Pharmacist and Health Advocate at WonderCare.ie, Sheena Mitchell said: “I am inundated with requests for advice from people due to travel this Easter and further ahead into the summer months.
“It’s already less than four weeks before the school holidays start for Easter.
“Parents of unvaccinated children need to plan their two doses of the MMR now with their GP.”
It takes time for the MMR vaccine to be fully effective for 99 per cent immunity.
Adults and children with no vaccination records will require two doses of the MMR vaccine to achieve full immunity.
These vaccines need to be administered with a minimum of four weeks between each dose, with the second vaccine given at least two weeks prior to travel.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness. It starts with cold-like symptoms that develop about 10 days after you get infected.
You will then get a measles rash a few days later. The illness usually lasts 7 to 10 days.
KNOW THE SIGNS: MEASLES
ACCORDING to the HSE, symptoms of the viral illness include:
- cold-like symptoms such as aches and pains, a runny nose, sneezing and a cough
- sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light
- a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above (fever), which may reach around 40 degrees Celsius
- small greyish-white spots in your mouth
- loss of appetite
- tiredness, irritability and a general lack of energy
Meanwhile, holidaymakers will face higher air fares this summer because of capacity constraints, the boss of Ryanair has warned.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary said issues limiting the number of available aircraft mean European airlines will struggle to meet demand for travel during the peak season.
He predicted that Ryanair’s ticket prices will be up to 10 per cent more expensive this summer compared with the same period last year.
Mr O’Leary said this is because the carrier’s growth in passenger numbers will be lower than expected because Boeing’s new aircraft deliveries are being delayed.
Ryanair’s original forecast for the year to the end of March 2025 was that it would carry 205 million passengers, up from 183.5 million during the previous 12 months.
Mr O’Leary told reporters at the carrier’s Dublin headquarters: “With less aircraft, maybe we’ll have to bring that 205 million down towards 200 million passengers.
“It might be a scratch below 200 million, we just don’t know at this stage.
“That probably means that even our growth this year is going to be constrained in Europe, and I think that leads to a higher fare environment across Europe for summer 2024.”
He went on: “Fares in summer 2024 are going to be up again on summer 2023.
“Our average air fares in summer 2023 rose 17 per cent.
“We don’t think we’ll see that kind of double-digit fare increase this year.
“We’re doing our budgets based on a fare increase of 5-10 per cent, which to me feels kind of reasonable.
“It could be higher than that, it could be lower than that, we don’t really know.
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“If capacity was growing, I think fares would be falling.”
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
