In the United Kingdom (UK), a whopping 90% of children, aged two have received their very first measles vaccine. This amounts to the highest level of MMR vaccinations in 13 years. However it still may not be enough, as this level is still short of the 95% uptake rate which would stop the spread of the disease in the community according to the Heath Protection Agency (HPA).
Dr. Mary Ramsay, head of the immunization department at the HPA states:
“We’re very encouraged to see that UK MMR uptake has reached 90% in children aged two, indicating increasing levels of trust by parents in the immunization program.”
In the UK, two doses of the MMR vaccine are usually given, the first at around 12 months and the second around the time of starting school. The increase in the number of children aged two receiving their first dose is a 0.6% rise on the previous quarter. The uptake rate for two doses in children aged five increased by 0.3% from the previous quarter to 85.1%, show the HPA’s figures.
Summer travel through Europe raised concern considering the recent outbreak in the Union. More than 11,000 cases have been reported across 35 European countries in the first four months of this year alone.
In France, where the outbreak appears to have started, more than 7,000 cases were reported between January and April this year. The HPA says that in England and Wales there have been a total of 496 confirmed measles cases between January and May 2011.
Dr. Ramsay continues:
“It’s that time of year when children are travelling on school trips and family holidays and we are reminding parents and young adults of the importance of immunization before they travel. We cannot stress enough that measles is serious and in some cases it can be fatal. Anyone who missed out on MMR as a child will continue to be at risk of measles, which explains why we are seeing these new cases in a broad age range.”
Dr David Elliman, consultant community pediatrician at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London adds:
“Anybody can get measles at any time, but it’s particularly dangerous in very young children and young adults. Any opportunity people have to visit their GP (general practitioner) and ask for the vaccine should be taken. Figures show 84% of children had received their second dose of the MMR vaccine by the age of five but we need 95% uptake to stop it going around and we are still not there.”
He says one in 15 people have complications with measles and one in 1,000 will die of it, but that the two doses of MMR will protect people against the disease.
In France, a measles epidemic has officially been declared there. Almost 5,000 cases have been reported between January and March this year. This is almost equal to the total number of cases reported in France (5,090) during the whole of 2010.
The World Health Organization says France is taking immediate steps to control the outbreaks by vaccinating infants at nine months of age and offering the vaccine to all unimmunized or under-immunized people over that age.
Sources: The Health Protection Agency and
Written by Sy Kraft