The Public Health Agency (PHA) says there are no confirmed cases of measles in Northern Ireland.
It comes in the wake of the death of a man in his 40s from Co Westmeath who died in hospital in Dublin this week.
It is understood he had travelled to Birmingham recently where there has been an outbreak.
The Republic’s health service executive (HSE) said it is the first confirmed measles case notified in Ireland in 2024.
There were four measles cases reported in the Republic in 2023 and two in 2022.
While no cases were reported in 2021, there were five incidences recorded in 2020, the HSE said, with no deaths reported in any of those years.
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The Republic’s Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the state was at high risk of a measles outbreak.
It comes amid a recent increase in cases across Europe, with several fatalities recorded in Romania.
Northern Ireland has not had any confirmed cases of measles since 2017, according to the PHA.
It also told The Irish News that there has “not been any confirmed measles cases in Northern Ireland this year”.
A vaccination campaign is currently underway for all those aged between 12 months and 25 years who missed getting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines first time around.
#MMRcatchup
— Public Health Agency (@publichealthni) February 7, 2024
Any children or young people aged 12 months to 25 years who missed getting the vaccine first time around will have the opportunity to receive it now.https://t.co/d18j9K5qfu pic.twitter.com/30RKzkXUDL
Louise Flanagan from the PHA, said: “It is particularly worrying that today’s statistics show that only 85.4% of children have received their second MMR vaccine dose by age five – well below the 95% level recommended by the WHO.
“We need to improve the uptake rates of both doses in order to provide protection to the population of Northern Ireland.
“Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases and cases are currently on the rise in the UK and Europe.
“We must ensure that vaccination rates improve to stop the spread of measles and give our communities the best possible protection available against this serious illness.
“It is vital that routine childhood vaccinations are up to date as this remains one of our best defences for public health.
“We urge parents and carers to check that their children are up to date on their vaccines and if not, they should book an appointment to catch-up as soon as possible.”
