Measles cases in England up by a third
Outbreak soars to nearly 600 confirmed cases in England as officials warn parents to vaccinate their children
The measles outbreak in England shows no signs of slowing as cases have shot up by a third, official figures reveal. Public Health England today confirmed 587 people have caught the deadly infection already this year - with an extra 147 recorded in three weeks.
The figures come as health officials have repeatedly urged parents to ensure their children are up- to- date with the MMR vaccine. Travel to Europe has been blamed for the ongoing outbreak of measles, which was last year thought to have been eliminated in the UK. France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Romania are all currently battling outbreaks of the infection, which can prove fatal in one in 15 cases.
For most people, measles takes the form of cold- like symptoms and a rash which last for a week to ten days. It carries a risk of complications however, which children are most vulnerable to.
Public health officials claim most cases are being seen in young people who did not get the MMR vaccination when they were children.
Drop in vaccination rates could be to blame
To prevent a measles outbreak, it is recommended that 95 per cent of the population is immunised against the infection. Only 91.9 per cent of children were vaccinated against measles between 2015 and 2016 - compared to 94.2 per cent in 2014- to2015, according to NHS statistics.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: 'The measles outbreaks we are currently seeing in England are linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe. The majority of cases we are seeing are in teenagers and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine when they were children. We’d encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.'
An extra warning has been issued to football fans travelling to Russia for the World Cup, which began on Thursday, where people from all over the world will be gathering. French and German football fans could be among those heading to the World Cup, which starts on Thursday.
PHE tweeted earlier in June: ' We’re advising fans heading to Russia for the World Cup to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine because of measles outbreaks across the continent.'
Measles declared ' eliminated from the UK'
Measles was declared eliminated in the UK last September by global health leaders, meaning there had not been a widespread outbreak for three years.
But a drop in the number of children being vaccinated could be contributing to the spread of the infection.
Dr Ramsay added: '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. The UK recently achieved WHO measles elimination status and so the overall risk of measles to the UK population is low. However, we will continue to see cases in unimmunised individuals and limited onward spread can occur in communities with low MMR coverage and in age groups with very close mixing.'
A highly infectious illness
Measles is a highly infectious illness which can affect anyone who has not been vaccinated, but is most common in young children. It is passed between people by coughing and sneezing, as people can become infected by
breathing in or touching droplets of an infection person's breath.
Common symptoms include a runny nose and cough, sore red eyes, a fever, and grey or white looking spots inside the cheeks, as well as the rash the infection is known for. Anyone who suspects they or their child has measles should contact a doctor straight away.
Discredited autism link could be a contributor
A drop in immunisation rates may be partly due to now- debunked research by a scientist who claimed children who had the MMR vaccine are more likely to develop bowel disease or autism.
Andrew Wakefield claimed in a study in 1995 that being injected with a 'dead' form of the measles virus via vaccination causes disruption to intestinal tissue, leading to both of the disorders. Medical journal The Lancet formally retracted Wakefield's paper in 2010 after it found evidence used in his study was untrue.