The measles epidemic: All you need to know...
As cases of ‘eradicated’ disease soar by 300% in Europe
MEASLES cases rocketed by 300% across Europe last year as some parents refused to vaccinate their children while other young people, who had never been vaccinated, spread the disease.
Lack of safety jabs led to more than 20,000 people being infected, causing 35 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
The disease had been virtually eradicated in Britain before confidence in the MMR vaccine collapsed in the late 90s after Dr Andrew Wakefield wrongly claimed the measles, mumps and rubella jab was linked to autism.
Some worried parents chose not to vaccinate their children, leaving the youngsters at risk of catching the highly contagious disease.
Many are now teenagers and young adults who are travelling to Europe and partying at festivals where there have been outbreaks.
There were 282 cases reported in the UK last year, all caused by people from affected countries.
So far this year there have been 36 known cases in the UK. So how deadly is the disease and how can parents protect their children?
What is measles?
Highly contagious and dangerous, it is caused by a virus. Before a vaccine arrived in 1963, there were serious epidemics every two to three years, causing an estimated 2.6 million deaths globally each year.
Anyone can get measles if they haven’t been vaccinated or they haven’t had it before although it is most common in young children and it is normally passed through direct contact and the air.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at Public Health England, explains: “The virus is in tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
“You can catch measles by breathing in these droplets or, if the droplets have settled on a surface, by touching the surface and then placing your hands near your nose or mouth. The virus can survive on surfaces for a few hours.”
The first symptoms are a high fever, runny nose, cough, red watery eyes and sometimes white spots inside the cheeks. After a few days a red rash appears on the face and neck, spreading to the hands and feet. People are infectious from when symptoms develop until about four days after the rash appears.
How deadly is it?
Dr Ramsay says: “We rarely see deaths from measles in the UK now but it can cause debilitating complications such as infections of the lungs and brain.”
The most serious complications include blindness and encephalitis which causes the brain to swell. Most deaths are caused by complications, such as pneumonia. These are more common in children under five and adults over 30. Since 2011 there have been four deaths in England and Wales, according to Public Health England.
Why has it returned to the UK and Italy?
“Measles has never fully ‘gone away’,” says Dr Ramsay. “In September 2017 the UK received World Health Organisation measles elimination status, meaning it was no longer endemic, to the country, so all cases would originate back to an imported index case.
“High levels of media coverage and debate in the public eye about the now refuted link between MMR and autism led to a drop in MMR coverage in the late 90s, which took many years to recover.
“The ‘Wakefield generation’, who were babies during the time of the Wakefield scare, are now in their 20s and many would not have had the vaccination – which is why we saw outbreaks at some festivals in 2016.”
How common is it?
In 1941, before the vaccine, there were 409,715 reported cases in the UK and 1,145 deaths. Figures from Public Health England show that last year there were around 280 reported cases in the UK. The year before there were 546 cases, many of these linked to outbreaks at festivals.
When should children be vaccinated?
Children should be given the MMR vaccine when they are a year old. They will then have a second injection of the vaccine before starting school, usually at three years and four months.
But if you or your child have not been vaccinated it is not too late, and doctors are urging anyone who has never had the jab to get themselves vaccinated.
Are the single vaccines better?
After the Wakefield scare, some parents opted to have single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for their children, rather than the triple MMR jab. What is the difference and why is it harder to get single jabs?
Dr Ramsay explains: “Single vaccines are not available on the NHS in the UK because there is a risk that fewer children would receive all the necessary injections, increasing the levels of measles, mumps and rubella.
“The delay in having six separate injections would also put more children at risk of developing the conditions, as well as increasing the amount of work and inconvenience for parents and those administering the vaccines.”