The Centre for Health Protection has urged people to stay alert when travelling to places with a high incidence or outbreak of measles.

It issued the advisory today after Okinawan authorities announced the end of the outbreak in the prefecture as there have been no new cases for four weeks. The outbreak saw 99 confirmed cases since March 20.

The centre said measles is an endemic infection in many places around the world.

In Southeast Asia the number of cases per million population in the past 12 months has reached 76.9 in Malaysia, 61.1 in the Philippines, 26.7 in Indonesia and 25.2 in Thailand.

In Europe there were marked increases in measles cases in recent months, with the highest 12-month incidence in Greece (255.6), Romania (108.3), Italy (66.6) and France (36.4).

Noting vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles, the centre urged people planning to travel to places with a high incidence of measles to consult their doctor about vaccination at least two weeks before departure.

Pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy who are not immune to measles, as well as children aged under one year, are advised not to travel to places with a measles outbreak.

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