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PHA
The Public Health Agency urges parents to give their children two doses of MMR vaccine
Health officials in Northern Ireland warn people to make sure they are vaccinated against measles after outbreaks in Europe.
Experts say that people traveling to and from the Republic of Ireland, England, France, Italy, Greece and Romania pose a particularly high risk.
Measles cases in the Republic of Ireland have increased by 244% between 2017 and 2018, according to UNICEF.
The highly infectious viral disease can lead to serious health complications.
The Public Health Agency of Northern Ireland (PHA) has produced a video on social networks highlighting the importance of the MMR vaccine.
Dr. Jenny Mack, a public health registrar at PHA, said the video was meant to highlight the signs and symptoms of the disease.
"Thanks to the high proportion of Northern Ireland who have made the positive decision to receive the MMR vaccine in recent decades, the cases of these three diseases have declined significantly here," she said.
"However, these diseases have not left and some countries are experiencing measles outbreaks."
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PHA
In March, UNICEF warned of a "global spike" in measles cases
She added: "Until measles is eliminated in the world, we will continue to see cases of measles imported into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
"Ensuring your children have received two doses of MMR vaccine will give them the best protection here and during their travels abroad."
In March, UNICEF, the UN agency for childhood, warned of a "global spike" in measles cases.
The charity said that 98 countries had reported an increase.
School prohibition
Last year, 86 measles cases were reported in the Republic of Ireland, up from 25 the year before.
In February, RTÉ reported a measles outbreak in Donegal County.
The Irish health agency, the Health Service Executive, said the outbreak was linked to a third-tier institution in Galway.
Italy has recently introduced new laws banning schooling for unvaccinated children.
Children under six will be excluded from nursery and kindergarten without proof of vaccination under the new rules.
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