A teenage boy died early yesterday after catching German measles.
The 16-year-old suffered an inflammation of the brain - viral encephalitis - brought on by the disease and died at Princess Margaret Hospital.
His death came as figures showed cases of German measles and other childhood ailments had soared.
The teenager, who had not been vaccinated against the infectious disease, was admitted to hospital on May 15 - six days after measles was diagnosed.
It was the first recorded death stemming from German measles, also known as rubella, since the Department of Health made it a notifiable disease in 1994.
A consultant at the hospital's department of medicine, Dr Lai Jak-yiu, said death as a result of German measles was extremely rare, and expressed confidence in the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccination given to all schoolchildren.
