Isle of Man at risk of measles outbreak

Thu, 05 Aug 2010

Example of the rash caused by measles

Manx residents are being urged to check their protection against measles, with case numbers on the rise is western Europe.

Public health chiefs on the Island are warning that anyone travelling abroad this summer without full protection could bring the virus to the Island.

There is concern there could be a local outbreak, as uptake in the MMR vaccine has dropped to 75% in parts of the Isle of Man.

9 children became infected with the virus in 2006, but none suffered serious complications. However a 13 year old boy in the UK died from measles in the same year.