Legislation is urgently required to identify which children in schools have not been vaccinated and are at risk if there is a measles outbreak in schools and crèches, the Director of the National Disease Surveillance Centre warned today.
Dr Darina O'Flanagan said low immunisation uptake is putting lives at risk and legislation is needed to record the immunisation status of children.
Her warning came in the context of 100 measles cases in the last 7 weeks, more than three times the norm.
She said the majority of these cases occurred in three areas; south west Dublin; the Midlands and the Western Health Board region; and all are directly related to a low MMR vaccine uptake.
"To be fully protected children need two doses of the MMR vaccine, one at around fifteen months and a second at 5 to 6 years of age.
"With the continued poor level of uptake of the MMR vaccine, it is time to seriously examine incentives used in other countries to improve uptake. In Australia for example, a certain proportion of child benefit payment is linked to immunisation uptake - with an opt out clause for conscientious objectors," she said.