Parents planning a late summer holiday abroad are being urged to get their children vaccinated against a highly contagious airborne infection before they fly. There has been a worrying drop in the uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting a warning from doctors.
Appearing on This Morning on Thursday, Dr Zoe Williams urged parents to check if their children are up to date with their vaccines, especially if they are planning a late summer holiday to countries where measles, mumps or rubella are more prevalent than they are in the UK. Her warning comes amid a revelation that one in 10 children are set to start school in September without being fully vaccinated, the ECHO reported.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), coverage of the first dose of the MMR vaccine in two year olds has dropped below 90 percent, while coverage for the two doses of the MMR vaccine in five year olds in England is currently 85.5 percent - well below the 95 percent World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target needed to achieve and sustain measles elimination. It means that more than one in 10 children under the age of five are not fully protected from measles and are at risk of catching it.
The NHS says measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause "serious" problems in some people. The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Other first symptoms include sneezing, red and sore watery eyes, a runny or blocked nose, a high temperature and a cough, as well as white spots in the mouth.
Measles can lead to serious problems if it spreads to other parts of the body and can cause pneumonia, blindness, meningitis or seizures. Although the NHS says these complications are rare, babies and people with weakened immune systems are more at risk of developing them.
The first dose of MMR should be administered when a child is around one years old - and the second dose when a child is around three years and four months old. Dr Zoe was concerned as she revealed one in 10 children are set to start school without being fully vaccinated.
She said: "Check if your children are up to date and, if not, get those vaccinations booked in as soon as possible because it can have devastating consequences." Dr Zoe explained measles is eradicated in the UK if 95 percent of the population are fully vaccinated.
This Morning host Andi Peters was shocked as Zoe revealed the vaccine uptake in children aged five and under is currently around 85 percent. The medical expert put the lower uptake down to complacency because we haven't seen the "devastating effects" of measles in our lifetime.
She also said it is due to people's busy lifestyle and parents thinking they weren't able to get the children vaccinated throughout the pandemic. Dr Zoe urged parents to get their child's vaccines booked in as soon as possible and said it is particularly important if families have an upcoming holiday.
She said: "Especially if you're travelling further abroad to places where these diseases might be more prevalent. If your child is due a vaccine then get it booked in before you go otherwise they're at risk.
"The main reason to get your child vaccinated is to protect them. The other reason is to protect everybody. If 95 per cent of people are vaccinated against measles then we don't have any cases.
"That means its protecting unborn babies and those under the age of one who can't be vaccinated yet and those who have weakened immune systems."
