Majorca horror as British tourists issued urgent warning over measles outbreak
Brits have been sent an urgent warning.
A virus outbreak in Majorca, Spain, has led to a stark warning for tourists as authorities launch checks on flights. At least six people have been affected by measles in the popular tourist destination, the Public Health Surveillance Service said, all of whom were treated at the same hospital as their cases are linked.
An investigation found that the first case came from a young child on holiday, who was sent to the paediatric A&E department at Son Espases University Hospital on July 19. The Public Health Surveillance Service is now trying to locate people who may have been exposed to the virus, which could be a "very high" number.
The service is tracking planes in Majorca and filtering through information to determine who can be considered close contacts of the infected.
Anyone deemed to be at risk will be contacted by text, asked to check if they have been vaccinated against measles, and be on the lookout for symptoms over the next 23 days.
Five of the six people currently infected were not vaccinated, and the vaccination status of the sixth is not known.
The Public Health Surveillance Service has recommended the use of FFP2 face masks in all healthcare settings, mandatory self-monitoring for symptoms, and a review of the vaccination status of all healthcare and hospital staff across Majorca.
Measles symptoms typically start seven to 14 days after exposure and begin with cold-like signs, a high fever, and sore, watery eyes, followed a few days later by a characteristic blotchy red-brown rash.
The Foreign Office-backed Travel Health Pro site said: "Measles is a highly infectious viral illness, with potentially serious, life-threatening complications. Travel remains an important risk factor for the international spread of measles.
"Measles is spread by airborne or droplet (coughing, sneezing, drops from mouth/nose) transmission. Initial symptoms can include fever, runny nose, red, sore eyes (conjunctivitis) and cough. A rash usually then appears after a few days.
"This starts on the face/head and then spreads over the body, arms and legs in three to four days. People are infectious from the day symptoms first appear to four days after the rash starts.
"The incubation period (time from exposure to measles virus to symptoms starting) is about ten days but can be between seven and 18 days.
"Travellers with no history of measles infection or who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated may be at risk from measles when visiting countries reporting cases, especially if staying with friends or family and mixing with local people."
