Until Thursday, 24 measles cases had been reported in connection with Urkult, which took place in Sollefteå municipality from July 30 to August 2.
The majority of cases involve children under 18 years of age, most of whom were unvaccinated.
The fact that so many people have been infected indicates that many people were exposed during the festival. But you can also turn that around. Because thanks to the vaccinations, there is also a huge group that has not become ill, says Stephan Stenmark, who is acting deputy state epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency.
Who needs to top up their measles vaccine?
Our basic recommendation is that you should be vaccinated with two doses. If you have only received one dose and are now an adult, we recommend that you plan to get a second dose.
How do I know if I have received one or two doses?
This can be seen on the vaccination card you received as a child. It may also be possible to obtain information from the healthcare provider you were with.
There is also information from the Public Health Agency about what the general protection looks like based on different years of birth.
It can be difficult to know, especially for those born in the 1970s, whether they received one or two doses. And 50 years later it is not so easy to find out, says Stephan Stenmark.
I think if you were born in the 1970s and are unsure of how many doses you have received - or if you don't know whether you have had measles - then you should plan for an additional dose. It is not harmful even if you have already received two doses.
Does vaccination coverage differ in different regions or in different groups?
When it comes to age groups, we know that some people born in the 1970s may have only received one dose. However, there are only small variations between different regions, says Stephan Stenmark.
You can see differences depending on which country you were born in and depending on your parents' level of education. But the differences are not that dramatic.
How widespread is vaccine resistance in Sweden?
"We know that there are individuals or small groups here and there. We also hear in dialogue with child health services that they are facing an increase in questions, concerns and skepticism from parents of younger children," says Stephan Stenmark.
Thanks to the fact that child health care is engaging in dialogue, in the end an absolute majority are vaccinated anyway. But this is an area we have worked on for a long time and will continue to work on for the foreseeable future.
Measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases and can be very serious, even life-threatening. However, it is uncommon in Sweden because the measles vaccine is included in the childhood vaccination programme.
Measles is transmitted when a sick person sneezes or coughs out the virus.
The first symptoms of measles are a dry cough, irritated eyes, runny nose and fever. The rash does not appear until a few days later. The incubation period is usually 10–12 days, but can vary from 7 to 21 days.
A simple test can determine whether it is measles or something else.
A sick person is contagious four days before the rash appears to four days after.
Source: Public Health Agency of Sweden and 1177.
