>280 new cases >38 children hospitalised

Epidemiological statistics - 1 expected case of death when case counts reach to 500

Every new case has a potential to infect another 20 individuals

Highest risk – children under 1 and pregnant women who were not vaccinated

Public Health will distribute letters to parents with all children with no documented MMR vaccination to approach GPs for vaccination

All children over 1 yr age and adults born after 1970 can get MMR vaccination if not been vaccinated before

Health Visitors will advise older children & adults in family who have not been vaccinated to protect under 1 yr olds

Midwifes will advise same to protect pregnant women

Measles in pregnancy has high incidence of pre-mature labour

Virus is contained in the millions of tiny droplets that come out when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Measles is caused by breathing in these droplets or touching a surface contaminated these droplets and the hand going near your nose and mouth. 

Cold, fever, red eye, sensitivity to light

Takes 7-12 days from exposure to development of rash

Red brow rash which blanches comes usually from behind the ear and spread all over the body, takes up to 8 days to disappear

Infectious from 12- 18 days of rash

MMR in UK (90% protection measles, 95% Rubella)

Age 12 months – 1st Dose

Age 3yr 4 months-5 years – 2nd Dose

No upper limit of age, 2 doses need 28 days at least apart

1998 study of 15 children – involved a lot of Bias

Follow up studies of >250 children –no link between MMR and autism

Tri vaccine MMR safer than single measles vaccine

Single vaccine – anaphylactic risk high

Person who has not been vaccinated in been in exposure to Measles can be infectious for up to 21 days from time of exposure

Vaccination with MMR within 72 hours of exposure can prevent from developing Measles.

Measles can be extremely unpleasant

It can lead to - Pneumonia, Meningitis, Encephalitis, Long

Term Spinal Cord Damage

In rare cases, people have died from measles

Buccal Swabs Serology IgM – current Infection IgG- previous infection or immunised

MEASLES IS A NOTIFIABLE DISEASE, CAN NOTIFY PUBLIC HEALTH BY PHONE EMAIL OR FAX – PHONE NUMBER : 01792607387