HSE issues urgent warning to passengers on Dublin flight after measles case confirmed

Passengers are urged to also look out for symptoms over the coming weeks.

Passengers who travelled on Etihad Airways flight EY45 from Abu Dhabi to Dublin, which arrived on Saturday, March 9, at 6.30am are being asked to come forward.

The case of measles is the third confirmed in Ireland in recent weeks.

Any passenger on the flight who is immunocompromised or parents of children under the age of 12 months are being asked to contact their local HSE Department of Public Health.

Passengers are advised to urgently contact HSELive on 1800 700 700 or 00 353 1 240 8787 for those calling from outside of Ireland.

HSE issues urgent warning to passengers on Dublin flight after measles case confirmed

Those on the flight are also advised to look out for various symptoms that appear up until Saturday, March 30 (21 days after possible initial exposure), including:

• cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and a cough;
• sore red eyes;
• a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above;
• rash, which usually appears on head and neck first and spreads to rest of body.

According to the HSE website, measles 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.

A third case of measles has been confirmed in ireland, on someone who flew into Ireland from Abu Dhabi last Saturday morning. HSE is asking other passengers to make contact urgently pic.twitter.com/vtzH4PzU9u

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 12, 2024

In a statement, the HSE said: "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."

The two previous cases in Ireland involved a man in Mullingar who died last month after contracting the disease, and a teenager in the west of Ireland who was diagnosed last week.

There are also nine suspected cases of measles in Ireland.