Measles should be a childhood disease of the past yet the UK Health Security Agency says there were 1,603 suspected cases of measles in England and Wales in 2023, a sharp rise from 735 cases in 2022 and 360 in 2021. Worrying hey?
And the World Health Organization (WHO) in the news this week said there had been an “alarming” 45-fold increase in measles cases across Europe in 2023 with more than 42,000 people infected in 2023, compared to 941 during the whole of 2022.
With a shocking 3.4 million children still unvaccinated in the UK this disease, once a childhood illness from the past, is likely to keep spreading rapidly and the effects of that are being seen and reported in hospitals across the country this February.
A nurse in the paediatric intensive care unit at a local hospital stated only this week the worrying complications she’s seen in a young child in her care who initially had measles but went on to develop a serious life threatending illness meningococcal sepsis. She states:-
“Worrying day at work. I feel like I’ve gone back in time 23 years ago. A 2 year old was admitted with meningococcal sepsis – I have not seen a case like this in paediatric intensive care for years! Sadly the little one is very sick and unvaccinated. Just watching today’s news that 3.4 million children in UK are not vaccinated. Measles and other disease incidences are rising. We need herd immunity and because of these unvaccinated the illnesses are spreading and having more devastating effects. Under 2 year olds in particular are more prone to getting severe complications. And children in general. Not all children can receive the vaccine due to being immunocompromised or other reasons so are reliant on everyone else being vaccinated.”
Measles vaccinations were introduced in the UK in 1968. The current two-dose MMR vaccine started in 1996 and is very effective. After both MMR doses, 99% of people are protected against measles and rubella, and 88% are protected against mumps.
The first MMR dose is usually given at 12 months old, while the second jab is administered at about three years and four months, before children start primary school. However you or your child can be vaccinated at any point by your GP so get in touch with them today if you are unsure whether you’ve been vaccinated or would like to get vaccinated.
Pop-up clinics have also been set up at schools in areas where cases have risen so you may be able to find one local to you.
Most MMR side effects are mild and the injection site can be red, sore and swollen for a few days, with babies and young children sometimes developing a high temperature for up to 72 hours.
There is no evidence linking the MMR vaccine with autism and researcher Mr Wakefield wrongly claimed the two were connected in 1998, with his work later dismissed, and Mr Wakefield was struck off by the General Medical Council in 2010.
The NHS advises children and adults to:
You should go to A&E or phone 999 if you or your child:
Pregnant women or those with a weakened immune system should seek urgent medical advice after contact with someone with measles.
Look out for these signs of meningitis in children or adults which is a serious complication after contracting measles. Call for emergency medical help if you suspect your child has meningitis. Don’t wait for the glass test (if you press a glass on the skin the rash should disappear – it doesn’t in the case of sepsis) or a rash to appear before getting help.
For information on recognising and dealing with common childhood illnesses you can book a first aid course with Child Matters privately in the comfort of your own home, setting or on a public course. Contact us today for more details.
