Parents put on alert after an increase in measles cases
THERE have been 39 cases of suspected measles reported in Greater Manchester over the past six weeks – compared to 12 in the same period last year.
Public Health England (PHE) received reports from across the region between November 27 and January 7, covering December and the festive period.
While not all cases will turn out to be measles, the figure is much higher than over the same six weeks in the previous two years, when 12 were reported in 2016/17 and six in 2015/16.
Health experts said the increase is an important reminder for parents to take their children for an MMR vaccination.
This year, cases have been scattered across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, including six in Manchester. Only Bolton and Tameside have not reported any cases.
Recent outbreaks have been linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe, with PHE warning that people who have recently travelled to Romania, Italy and Germany and who have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine are particularly at risk.
There is a possibility that cases will rise again as people return to school and work following the festive break.
Across England and Wales, in the six weeks to January 7, 372 suspected cases of measles were reported to PHE – also far higher than in the same period in the previous two years, with 142 cases reported in 2016/17 and 115 in 2015/16.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: “This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at one year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age.
“Children and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had two doses should contact their GP practice to catch up.
“We’d also encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.
“The UK recently achieved World Health Organisation measles elimination status and so the overall risk of measles to the UK population is low.
“However, due to ongoing measles outbreaks in Europe, we will continue to see cases in unimmunised individuals and limited onward spread can occur in communities with low MMR coverage.”