The case was the first in several years to be lab-confirmed in Latvia. Estonia had reported three cases for 2025 by mid-March.

The infected individual arrived in Latvia from Moscow on April 17, then traveled to Tallinn by bus four days later.

Spokesperson for Latvia's Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) Ilze Ūdre said: "On 21 April, the patient traveled on the Riga-Tallinn bus, which is also an international route. Therefore, we received this information through our Estonian colleagues and we also received information about this bus [...] we identified the contacts who were on the Riga-Tallinn route. So recommendations have been made."

Latvian authorities appealed for information from passengers on the same Moscow-Riga bus who may have become contacts, as the disease prevention center initially lacked a full passenger list.

The passenger list for the Riga-Tallinn bus on April 21 was quickly obtained, LSM reported. The Moscow bus list followed on May 2.

Ūdre said her authority contacted the individual, identified close contacts, and launched an epidemiological investigation.

The SPKC also contacted authorities in the home countries of all non-Latvian passengers.

Measles (Rubeola) has been resurging in Estonia, with three cases in two months, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported in March. One case in January also involved an infected person traveling to Tallinn, this time from Helsinki. Four cases were recorded for the whole of 2024.

One case was recorded in Latvia last year, with the last outbreak in 2018.

Some outbreaks have also occurred in other EU countries.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that initially causes high fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes, and light sensitivity. Within a few days, a red, blotchy rash usually develops on the face and spreads down the body. Fatigue and loss of appetite are also common.

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