Families urged to avoid air travel if children show signs of measles

Families in the UAE have been advised to avoid air travel if their children are displaying the early symptoms of measles.

The spread of the disease across Europe has medical authorities on high alert, and doctors in the UAE are offering preventive advice.

About a 45-fold increase in measles cases was reported in Europe in 2023 by the World Health Organisation.

Nurseries in Dubai have offered extra advice to parents, although doctors said the country’s immunisation programme should keep an outbreak at bay.

Dr Rachel Herbert, a consultant on infectious diseases at Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi, advised families against air travel if their children show first indications of measles.

Typical symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash that typically starts on the hairline or face and goes around the body.

“People should be aware of the vaccination status of children,” said Dr Herbert. “If your child is unvaccinated, then they are at risk as measles is spread through airborne droplets.”

With Dubai and Abu Dhabi among the world’s leading travel centres, doctors said parents should ensure their child’s vaccination status is up to date to keep them safe.

“The recent rise in measles cases is caused by the disruption of childhood measles vaccination programmes during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dr Ram Shukla, a specialist in infectious diseases at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah.

“This is primarily related to increasing numbers of susceptible populations in a community, who are unexposed, unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.”

He said that outbreaks can also occur when travellers from countries with low levels of vaccination go abroad. Measles is extremely contagious, with about 90 per cent of unvaccinated people becoming infected following exposure.

“In the UK, one of the common themes is that during Covid, people didn’t attend their routine vaccinations because clinics were either closed or difficult to access,” said Dr Herbert, who worked for the National Health Service in Middlesex, England, before arriving in the UAE.

“As a result, there was a big drop in the number of vaccinations during the pandemic – we definitely had pockets in the community where there were low vaccination rates.”

Canadian Kids Nursery in Dubai has increased precautions and issued more advice to parents,

“The importance of measles awareness in nurseries cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in preventing outbreaks and safeguarding the health and well-being of children and nursery staff,” said Faten El Hajj, nursery manager.

“We are enlightening parents on the significance of vaccinations.”

Doctors say the focus on the coronavirus came at the expense of important measles vaccinations