With more and more children going unvaccinated, the number of confirmed cases of measles has risen, prompting calls for parents to “act now” to protect their children.
Vaccination rates are particularly low in the West Midlands and London, where most cases occur.
A high temperature, stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, and red, painful, or watery eyes are the common cold-like symptoms that typically manifest first.
According to updated data, there has been a 138% increase in cases in England during the past 30 days. The instances have been verified by lab testing and are based on doctor notifications. We may expect a far higher actual figure.
The number of confirmed cases increased from 29 in the week ending December 16 to 69 in the week ending January 14, according to UK Health Security Data (UKHSA).
Vaccination is the greatest defense against this dangerous disease, and it’s never too late to obtain one, according to British Society for Immunology doctor Doug Brown. Experts are sounding the alarm that declining vaccination rates might lead to much higher rates if nothing is done.
According to independent UKHSA statistics, the number of suspected cases in England and Wales increased from 735 in 2016 to 1,603 in 2017.
As measles has a mortality rate of between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 5,000 cases, hundreds of individuals might perish from an entirely avoidable disease, according to Dr. David Elliman of Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The current recommendation is that unvaccinated children remain home for 21 days after contact with the illness.
The illness is highly infectious. According to the NHS, if one person gets measles and doesn’t use a protective mask, up to 90% of others around them will also get infected.
Parents should ensure their children have their measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shots regularly and get any ones they may have missed as soon as possible.
Inquire at your family doctor’s office if you or your kid are unsure whether you have received the vaccination.
The NHS can cover the cost of its administration.
