Measles can spread easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools, the UKHSA warned. One infected child can pass it on to nine out of ten children who have not been protected by the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination.
In worst-case scenarios, measles develops into meningitis and sepsis and causes a risk to life. And one in five children with measles, will need to be admitted to hospital for treatment.
Official figures show there have been 216 confirmed and 103 probable measles cases in the West Midlands since last October, with around 80 per cent of cases identified in Birmingham, the majority in children aged under 10.
Meanwhile, measles cases continue to rise across the country, with NHS figures showing that more than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 years are unprotected from the disease.
To limit further spread of the outbreak and help protect other areas at risk, the NHS has launched a vaccine catch-up scheme, targeting 11 to 25 years-old in areas with low uptake of the vaccine, such as London and the West Midlands, to invite them to catch up on their missed MMR vaccinations.
This follows on from the NHS campaign rolled out at the beginning of Winter, urging parents and guardians of children aged five and under, to get their children fully protected.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UK Health Security Agency consultant medical epidemiologist, said, ‘The continuing downward trend in the uptake of routine childhood vaccinations is a serious concern. The diseases that these vaccines protect against, such as measles, can be life-changing and even deadly. No parent wants this for their child especially when these diseases are easily preventable.
‘We now have a very real risk of measles outbreaks across the country. Please don’t put this off, check now that your children are fully up to date with both their MMR jabs and all their routine vaccines, and do take up the offer as soon as possible if you are contacted by your GP practice or the NHS for your child to catch up.’
Samantha Murray-James from Cheshire, mum of 16 month-old Lucca, said, ‘I’d heard stories from my grandmother about measles and how she nursed her children in a darkened room to stop them going blind with it in the 1950s, but didn’t think it was still a problem now.
'When I heard that measles was making a come back in the news I was worried about my son, Lucca who was just a few months old. As soon as my GP invited me around his first birthday I booked him an appointment to get his first MMR vaccine. The nurse reassured us both and it has put my mind at rest to know he is now protected.’
- Parents and carers can find out more about the different vaccines their child should have and when by visiting www.nhs.uk and searching for ‘NHS vaccinations and when to have them’.
