First case of measles found in Limburg; no connection to the outbreak in Noord-Brabant

A new case of measles has been identified in Zuid-Limburg. The GGD health service for the region has said that the person infected is a "Dutch native, unvaccinated, adult” with mild symptoms. The patient most likely became infected during a trip to Eastern Europe.

To the GGD’s knowledge, there is no connection to the Eindhoven cases. In the southeast of Noord-Brabant, there have been more than two dozen confirmed measles cases in the last few weeks. These are mainly children with an average age of five.

Public health workers have already identified the individuals who came into contact with the Limburg patient when he was contagious. They can get their vaccinations if they have not already done so.

Measles is very contagious. Most people contracting measles have mild symptoms, but patients can sometimes suffer severe complications like a lung infection or meningitis.

People can also die from the disease on rare occasions. The risk is more significant for young children than it is for adults.

Children in the Netherlands can get vaccinated against measles, but the vaccination rate has dropped below 90 percent in the last few years. The World Health Organization has said that a population is well protected when at least 95 percent are vaccinated.