A case of measles in Galway is linked to the outbreak in Limerick City, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has confirmed.

There is just one reported case in Galway and the patient’s details are unknown.

There are now 28 confirmed measles cases linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Mid-West region, with the majority of these in Limerick City.

As well as one case in Galway, there is one associated case in Clare and one in Dublin.

These are also related to the Limerick outbreak.

There are also a number of cases in the South East area.

The Measles Outbreak Control Team is continuing to investigate the measles cases and offer advice on the measures to control the further spread of this potentially serious illness.

A free HSE MMR vaccination clinic (no appointment needed) is being held in Barrack View Primary Care Centre, Edward Street, Limerick on 12th April at 3-4pm. Additionally for the duration of this outbreak MMR vaccination is free of charge to the public from GPs as the HSE is paying for the vaccine and for the GPs to give the vaccine.

“The HSE is advising all adults aged under 40 to check if they have had two doses of MMR and if not to arrange to get immunised by their GP. This outbreak demonstrates that measles is not just a childhood illness, around half of the cases are adults aged less than 40 years of age.

Parents of children in the region should also check if their children have had the vaccines appropriate for their age (1st one at 1 year, 2nd one in Junior Infants in primary school),” the HPSC advised.

A body has been found near Salthill in a major search operation for a swimmer who did not return to shore yesterday evening.

It is understood that the swimmer was 39 years old and from Galway.

The search resumed this morning after standing down at around 9pm yesterday.

The RNLI and Gardaí confirmed that the search had become a recovery operation, and that a body was recovered after 10am.

Update: The swimmer has been named locally as Barry Mitchell.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Fórsa trade union has warned Aer Lingus of possible industrial action at a conference in the Clayton Hotel in Galway this week over the airline’s decision to withdraw from a dispute resolution board.

An emergency motion calling on the union to take action has been tabled for the conference after Aer Lingus decided last month to withdraw from an ‘Internal Disputes Resolution Board’ established in 2016.

Director of Employee Relations and Change Sean Murphy told RTÉ the IDRB was being used to frustrate business change and that it was being bypassed in favor of the Workplace Relations Commission.

Fórsa National Secretary Angela Kirk said earlier this month that the union regards Aer Lingus’ withdrawal as a breach of a collective agreement and that Fórsa may try to enforce it.

“Alterations to a collective agreement require the agreement of the parties and Fórsa does not accept that Aer Lingus can unilaterally alter a collective agreement.

“Fórsa will continue to refer appropriate cases to the IDRB. We reserve the right to take whatever action we deem appropriate to ensure compliance with this collective agreement.”

Speaking at the conference Divisional Chair of Fórsa and Aer Lingus worker Gillian White said that by walking away from the IDRB Aer Lingus was increasing the risk of industrial disputes.

“It’s inevitable that, if this unnecessary and ill-advised act is not reversed, it will be more difficult to conduct productive industrial relations, and deal constructively with the conflicts that inevitably arise in this highly competitive sector.”

Ms. White said that she believed Aer Lingus withdrew because the Board was ruling against them too often.

“We have established a more effective voice for staff in the company and we felt there was more chance that management would actually start to listen.

“But they have walked away, in view because they were not getting their way on every single issue.”

The conference runs this Thursday and Friday at the Clayton Hotel, Galway.

Fórsa’s Services and Enterprises Division represents approximately 6,000 workers at non-commercial, semi-state companies such as Dublin Airport Authority and An Post as well as commercial companies in aviation and telecommunications.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organsiation say that there are 26 people waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Galway today, a decrease of more than half in under a day.

Yesterday, UHG’s overcrowding was the worst on record, with 58 people on trolleys. The hospital was the second most overcrowded after Cork University Hospital.

While the number has decreased significantly today, the total number of people who have been on a trolley at UHG in the first four days of this week is now 151.

Speaking yesterday, the INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha said:

Catherine Connolly TD has described as ‘unacceptable’ the ongoing closure of the day-centre in Áras Mhic Dara, Carraroe.

The day-centre closed on 5 March and over a month later remains closed.

The centre is located at the heart of the Gaeltacht which provides an essential service to people aged 70-98.

Up until March this year it was open five days a week between the hours of 9am and 4pm catering for approximately 12 people per day, some of whom traveled by minibus and others by car.

The Galway West TD has repeatedly contacted the HSE for an explanation as to why the centre remains closed and has, to date, not received a satisfactory response.

Deputy Connolly said that there is an onus on the Health Board to clarify this situation as a matter of urgency.

As a result of ongoing pressure, it has now been confirmed that the centre is to open on a limited basis for three days each week. While welcoming this news, Deputy Connolly said it is imperative that the centre resumes full service and that an effective local nursing recruitment campaign is initiated without delay.

Deputy Connolly will be raising this matter with the Minister for Health Simon Harris.

Water will be supplied to the Kilreekil area, following a decision made at a special meeting of Cappataggle Group Water Scheme last night, ending a long-running saga in the Kilreekil and Cappataggle areas.

The campaign has been going on for 40 years and during that time approximately 150 households, as well as a school, businesses and farming enterprises were left without a public water supply.

Sean Canney TD welcomed the news, complimenting the Cappataggle Scheme for their decision.

“In the last two years, members of Cappataggle Group Water Scheme have been doing their due diligence to ensure that the water supply was adequate. Galway County Council has been very supportive and I would like to compliment members of Cappataggle Scheme for their very positive decision and I look forward to the successful conclusion of this issue.

“We now have identified a water supply and have a budget and the next step is to get on with the construction of the pipe network to bring water to these houses and farms after a 40 year wait.

“I want to acknowledge the work behind the scenes of Cllr. Tim Broderick and Cllr. Pat Hynes and Dessie O’Brien, who have been involved over many years in bringing the issue to a successful conclusion. When completed, it will give a guaranteed supply of quality water to the community, which is a basic need in any society,” said Sean Canney TD.

Dr Claire Conway, lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway, has been awarded $20,000 funding from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to collaborate on exploring devices used by people with cardiac disease.

Dr Conway will collaborate with MIT Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor Ellen Roche.

The funding was awarded to initiate a collaborative exchange between the two emerging investigators and their respective research groups.

Professor Roche won international acclaim in 2017 during her time as a researcher in NUI Galway, for her work in creating a soft robotic sleeve to help patients with heart failure live with much better quality of life while waiting for a heart transplant, thanks to a sleeve placed around the affected organ.

Dr Conway’s research has been motivated by failure analysis of coronary stents, in particular stent fracture which increases the risk of blood clots forming or arterial blockages reforming.

Using computational modelling, she is developing 3D virtual models of the beating heart to better understand how this dynamic motion affects cardiac device design.

Professor Roche’s research investigates the design, building, and testing of cardiac devices, including soft robotic techniques, and the melding of mechanical and biological therapeutics for improved therapeutic regimens.

Through this exchange both scientists will combine their expertise to conduct rigorous and comprehensive evaluation of cardiac devices.

Speaking about the funding award, Dr Claire Conway from the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to advance cardiac device design and I am thrilled to be working with Professor Roche on this MISTI funded exchange. I believe both groups will benefit from the knowledge and experience gained and I look forward to this being a fruitful collaboration.”

Professor Ellen Roche from MIT, added: “I’m delighted to be involved with Dr Conway and others from the Discipline of Biomedical Engineering on this project. The awarded MISTI funds will enable fluid exchange of knowledge and people between NUI Galway and MIT that will output strong research, exploiting the expertise of both groups and enhancing ongoing inter-institutional collaboration.”

The exchange program will enable Dr Conway and Professor Roche to deliver workshops on their work at MIT, exploring how to enable innovative device and therapeutic design for cardiac disease. In turn a workshop at NUI Galway on cardiac medical device design, novel manufacturing and prototyping methods, bench-top modelling and testing will also be delivered.

Fifty-eight people are on trolleys today at University Hospital Galway, according to today’s Trolly/Ward Watch figures by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

This is the highest number of people recorded on trolleys at the hospital.

However, Cork University Hospital is still more overcrowded today, with 64 people on trolleys.

The national figure for today is 595, with Cork, Galway and Limerick worst affected.

One person was waiting on a trolley today at Portiuncula University Hospital.