Urkult leader urges parents to vaccinate children after measles outbreak

Eleven measles cases have been linked to the Urkult festival, prompting festival leader Eric Torestad to urge parents to vaccinate their children, SVT reported.

“We at Urkult are very clear about our position on this issue. Vaccinate your children,” Torestad said.

The eleventh case linked to the festival, which took place in the Västernorrland region around the turn of the month, was reported on Tuesday.

Erik Sturegård, acting state epidemiologist, described the outbreak as unusual. Measles outbreaks are rare in Sweden, he said, adding that the disease can cause serious illness and, in isolated cases, death.

All confirmed cases had attended Urkult during the period when they are believed to have been infected. Cases have been reported in Jämtland Härjedalen, Skåne, Stockholm, Västerbotten, Gotland and Värmland, while contact tracing and investigations into suspected cases continue.

Sweden’s childhood vaccination programme includes protection against measles, and vaccination coverage is about 95 percent. Sturegård said most of those who became ill were unvaccinated. He added that some people may have received less effective protection because of underlying illnesses, while some young children may not yet have been vaccinated.

More cases are expected to be identified, Sturegård said, but he does not expect a large outbreak affecting society as a whole.

He said cooperation with the festival organisers had been good and that information about the outbreak was believed to have reached festivalgoers and international networks, as some attendees came from other countries.

Torestad said the festival had been helping the Public Health Agency with data and had been contacting attendees. Michael McKeogh, the festival’s healthcare coordinator, said it was a coincidence that the outbreak had been linked to Urkult. He suggested that someone may have arrived without symptoms and spread the infection before attendees became ill after returning home.

Early symptoms of measles include a dry cough, fever and eye inflammation. The characteristic rash appears several days later.

People who attended Urkult, are unvaccinated and have not previously had measles should closely monitor themselves for symptoms. Anyone with possible measles symptoms should contact healthcare services by telephone rather than visiting in person. Vaccinated festivalgoers face a very low, though not zero, risk and should also call healthcare services if symptoms appear.