Vaccine plea to parents as three rubella cases assessed
Public health chiefs warn children are at risk with significant rise in mumps and measles
HEALTH authorities are assessing three possible cases of rubella as fears grow over a significant spike in childhood diseases. While confirmed cases of rubella have been extremely rare in Ireland in the past decade, its possible re-emergence comes amid mounting concern over the rise of diseases prevented by the MMR (measles mumps and rubella) vaccine.
Public health chiefs had already expressed concern at the huge increase in the number of cases of mumps, while new figures also show a rise in cases of measles in recent weeks. The HSE is now stepping up plans to alert the public about the importance of ensuring they have received the MMR vaccine.
Public health bodies have attributed the resurgence of measles and mumps to inadequate MMR vaccine uptake. Vaccination rates from MMR began to drop in the late 1990s after research — which has since been completely discredited — claimed it was linked to autism.
Parents have been urged to make sure their children are up to date with all their vaccines. The HSE has contacted colleges, GPs and public health staff about the issue and plans to step up public awareness and vaccination encouragement campaigns in the coming days.
Provisional data shows that 320 cases of mumps have been notified to the HSE in the first seven weeks of 2019, compared with 52 cases in the same period last year, a rise of more than 500pc.
A total of 576 cases of mumps were notified to the HSE in 2018, almost double the 291 cases reported in 2017.
The majority of mumps cases to date in 2019 have been in teenagers and young adults, with nine mumps outbreaks reported in community, school, university, private homes and other settings so far this year. At least 15 people have been hospitalised.
Some sporting events involving teenagers have been cancelled in Dublin because of mumps outbreaks, while third-level institutions including Trinity College Dublin and UCD have contacted students and staff warning of symptoms, suggesting at-risk students get vaccinated, and telling those who may be affected to avoid other students.
In addition, there have been 23 cases of measles reported to the HSE in the first seven weeks of 2019, also up from this time last year. In 2018 a total of 81 cases of measles were reported in Ireland, significantly up from the figure of 25 in 2017.
Ireland is not the only country being affected by a surge in measles and mumps cases. In 2018, more than 82,000 cases of measles were reported across the European region, including 72 deaths.
In 1998, Dr Andrew Wakefield’s research claimed that the MMR vaccine was linked to the development of autism. Despite Dr Wakefield eventually being struck off the medical register in the UK, and his research being absolutely discredited, distrust of the MMR vaccination lingered and helped spawn the anti-vax movement which has spread similar unfounded distrust about other vaccines.
While uptake of the MMR vaccine among children in Ireland is about 92pc, this remains below the ‘herd immunity’ target of 95pc required to prevent the spread of these diseases. Furthermore, about 10pc to 30pc of the Irish population under the age of 40 — those largely being impacted by the current outbreaks — have not received the necessary two doses of the MMR vaccine.
Dr Suzanne Cotter, HSE specialist in public health medicine, warned that many people do not realise they have not received the MMR vaccine. She advised those unsure or who discover that they are unvaccinated to consider getting vaccinated.
Symptoms of mumps include fever, headache, tiredness and swollen salivary glands as well as the appearance of swollen cheeks or jaws. While it usually resolves after 10 days, mumps can cause viral meningitis, and in rare cases deafness, encephalitis and other complications.