Sweden confirms measles case

Medical authorities in Sweden have confirmed the country's first case of measles following large outbreaks of the disease across Europe since 2014, local media reported on Saturday.

The infected individual was not vaccinated against the disease and contracted it during a trip in Germany, according to communicable disease control authorities in western Sweden, where medical centers have been told to be cautious since more people may fall ill and seek emergency care in the next few days.

"If you are not vaccinated and you end up at airports or in large crowds in, say, Europe or the United States, then you run a great risk of contracting measles," Leif Dotevall, a communicable disease doctor, told news agency TT.

According to Dotevall, most Swedes born after 1960 are protected against the disease. 98.5 percent of the children who were born after the year 2010 have been vaccinated against measles.

Sweden has seen an unusually high number of flu cases in February. Since the initial symptoms of measles - high fever, coughing, a runny nose and red eyes - are similar to flu symptoms, it is difficult to recognize the disease at first. However, the distinctive red measles rash develops after two to four days.

Since the beginning of 2014, more than 22,000 cases of measles were recorded in seven European countries, according to the World Health Organization. Endit