Another three children have been infected with measles in the southern Croatian county of Dubrovnik-Neretva, including one that has been hospitalised, increasing the number of recently confirmed cases to 17, the local public health bureau reported on Tuesday.

Two of the three recently infected children are of kindergarten age, but did not attend kindergarten at the time of their infection.

The first reported case of the measles outbreak was a man from the small town of Ston who had been hospitalised on May 25 in Dubrovnik, and was discharged after receiving treatment.

The county department for infectious diseases said that initial symptoms of measles include high temperature, nasal discharge, cough, eye redness and a rash. The department urged local population to contact their doctor if they develop any of the symptoms.

Kindergartens in Dubrovnik released a public notice earlier this month asking all parents of children who had not been vaccinated against measles to keep their children at home until June 26 at least. In addition, the public health service has called on all parents to vaccinate their children.

If their children exhibit symptoms, parents are urged not to go to the doctors of family medicine, emergency medicine or paediatricians, but to phone their family physician and explain the symptoms.

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