Parents have been warned to check their children have had measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jabs before the summer holidays after new data showed a raised in measles cases in England. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported 49 cases in England between January 1 and April 20, compared to 54 cases for the whole of 2022.
Some 40% of cases were in children aged under five and 27% were in people aged 15 to 34. Most of the cases (67%) have been in London, though they have cropped up in other regions and some cases are linked to travel abroad.
Measles vaccinations have fallen in recent years, with uptake of the first MMR dose in two-year-olds in England being 89%, while uptake of two doses by age five is just 85%. This is well below the 95% target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to eliminate the disease.
Vaccination rates differ in areas of England...
- North East: 91.3%
- South West: 90.7%
- East of England: 88.5%
- South East: 87.6%
- Yorks & Humber: 87.5%
- East Midlands: 86.6%
- North West: 86.4%
- West Midlands: 84.5%
- London: 74.1%
Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their two MMR doses. It’s never too late to catch up, and you can get the MMR vaccine for free on the NHS whatever your age.
“Vaccines are our best line of defence against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella and help stop outbreaks occurring in the community. Measles spreads very easily and can lead to complications that require a stay in hospital and on rare occasions can cause lifelong disability or death, so it is very concerning to see cases starting to pick up this year.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic we saw a fall in uptake for the routine childhood vaccinations, including MMR, which leaves us vulnerable to outbreaks, especially as people travel abroad for summer holidays to places where measles is more common.”
What is measles?
Measles is an infectious disease caused by a virus, and it’s known as being quite unpleasant and severe.
“It used to be a common illness, especially in children, until the introduction of the measles vaccine, given as part of the MMR vaccine in infancy,” says Dr Paul Shepherd, a GP with Push Doctor.
“However, the MMR vaccine uptake reduced following the flawed research of the discredited Dr Andrew Wakefield [who proposed a link between the MMR jab and autism and bowel disease], and so we’ve seen increasing cases of measles in the UK, and more especially across Europe in recent years.”
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Parents should be particularly wary of measles notes Shepherd, as it can lead to “serious complications” in childhood, including meningitis and pneumonia, sometimes with fatal consequences.
How do you catch measles?
Much like the common cold, measles is easily spread via tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth. “It’s usually transmitted from person to person by coughing, sneezing, or direct contact with body secretions,” says Shepherd.
You can catch measles by breathing in these droplets, or touching a surface that the droplets have settled on and then placing your hands near your nose or mouth, as the virus can survive on surfaces for a few hours.
What are the obvious signs and symptoms?
If you’ve been around someone with measles, you might not know if you’ve caught the virus until two weeks later. “Symptoms will usually start to develop in a person who has been exposed to and infected by the virus after between 10-14 days,” says Shepherd.
“Early signs are fever, cough, cold symptoms and sore eyes due to conjunctivitis. You will often, at this stage, find spots inside the cheeks which are a white or grey colour, known as ‘Koplik’s spots’,” he explains.
Measles produces a characteristic red rash (Thinkstock/PA)
After a few days, the characteristic measles rash appears. “Look out for a bright red rash, starting on the head and neck before spreading to the rest of the body.”
Shepherd notes that the rash is often itchy and, after about four days, the colour of the rash turns a more dark red or brown colour.
How is it treated?
There are several things you can do to help relieve the unpleasant symptoms of measles, and reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
“The usual first aid measures will apply, giving paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve aches and pains and help lower temperature. It is also important to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water,” says Shepherd.
It can also be helpful to close any curtains to reduce light sensitivity while you’re getting over the worst of it.
Most cases of measles will settle on their own over about 10-14 days, and once you have had measles, your body builds up resistance to the virus, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll get it again.
That said, you should contact your GP as soon as possible, if you suspect that you or your child may have measles. “As a result of catching measles, complications due to bacterial infection may arise, such as middle ear infection, pneumonia and meningitis.
“It is also very important that medical advice is sought quickly if there are any signs of complications arising,” warns Shepherd. “Worrying features would include difficulty breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, drowsiness, confusion or fits.
“In this situation, antibiotics will often be needed to treat the complicating bacterial infection and, in severe cases, hospitalisation is required.”
What can you do to prevent catching measles?
Measles can be prevented by having the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. This is given in two doses, as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme in the UK.
The first dose is given when your child is around 13 months old, and a second dose is given at three years and four months – but you could still get vaccinated later, if the childhood MMR is missed.
“The measles vaccine should have been given during childhood as part of MMR but the vaccine can be given at any age, if it has been missed,” say Shepherd, who stresses that having an extra vaccination will not cause any harm.
“Vaccination against measles is vital, both to protect an individual person and also to develop a high level of immunity in the population, in order to prevent the virus spreading.
“There’s also an injection that can be given in special circumstances called Human Normal Immunoglobulin, which is a concentration of antibodies against the measles virus,” he adds. “This may be given within six days of known exposure to the measles virus to babies under six months, unvaccinated pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems.”
If you already have measles, then the best thing to do is wait out the unpleasant symptoms, and stay away from others where possible. “You should avoid work or school for at least four days after the rash appears,” says Shepherd, “so you can avoid passing it on to others.”
