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Measles is still a real danger

27/05/2011

Figures released this week have revealed that more cases of measles are occurring now in the UK since 1988, when measles jabs started to be given routinely to children. In the fist three months of this year there were 334 confirmed cases, compared to just 33 for the same period last year. Worst hit are London and the South East, which comes as no surprise to me as in the past few years we’ve had several cases in my surgery, and nearly all cases are occurring in young people under 25. And in every case, the person concerned has not been fully vaccinated.

I think the most important message to get across about measles is that

it’s a really nasty illness. It can make you deaf. It can cause brain damage. And worst of all, it can kill. I still remember when my younger sister had measles back in 1967. She had a raging fever, and was delirious. Our GP said she had encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain. And there was nothing anyone could do for her, other than sit with her 24 hours a day, sponge her forehead, and give her paracetamol. But, I here you say, that was 40 years ago things are different now.

Actually, they’re not. Measles is caused by a virus, which means that antibiotics ( which tackle bacteria ) are useless.  The only treatment for measles is still paracetamol and tender loving care…and crossing everything in the hope that the person makes a full recovery.

The other thing about measles is that its incredibly infectitious. If one child gets it, any child in near contact with them who has not been immunised is likely to get it too. That’s why making sure your child has been vaccinated is so very important. I think nearly everyone knows now that Andrew Wakefield , who started off the scare about the MMR vaccine, was an unscrupulous rogue, and that the vaccine has been proven to be incredibly safe. Immunisation rates in children are rising, and last December, over 92% of five-year-olds had received at least one dose of MMR. But to be fully effective, two doses are required, and many kids of all ages have missed out on their second jab. Older children in particular may have missed out on the second jab.

Everyone should make sure they are immune, but it’s especially important for anyone who is crossing the Channel this summer, as there is a major outbreak of measles in Europe. France is particularly badly affected, where 7,000 cases have been reported since January.

So please, check your kid’s vaccination records. There is no shame or embarrassment if you’ve lost their records, or you can’t remember - just contact your local surgery and they should be able to help you.  If the records are incomplete better play it safe than sorry, and book them in to have an MMR booster. It won’t do any harm.

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