HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS
UK city on high alert for measles after rise in number of kids rushed to hospital – is your family at risk?
Outbreaks have now been reported in at least three separate UK cities
A UK city has been put on measles alert after seeing a rise in kids with the "extremely infectious" disease.
Several youngsters have been rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital with the bug, the health service said.
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Yvonne Millard, chief nurse at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said hospitals across the country are starting to see an increase in the number of cases of measles.
She said: “Whilst we have treated a very small number of patients this week for measles we are not currently treating anyone at Sheffield Children’s."
All Sheffield patients are believed to have caught the bug outside the hospital, she told The Star.
Cardiff and Leicester have also been struck by an outbreak of the viral infection, with officials reporting a rise in cases over the last few weeks.
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Noreen West, deputy medical director at Sheffield Children’s, has urged parents to protect their families by ensuring they are up to date with the MMR jabs.
She said: "Measles is extremely infectious and can be serious for some people, although if your child has had both MMR jabs the likelihood they will catch it is very low.
“The best way to prevent your children from getting measles is to make sure they have their two MMR vaccines on time – the first at one year of age and the second at three years, and four months.
"If you or your children missed these vaccines, it’s not too late. Ask for the free vaccine from your GP if you or your children aren’t up to date.”
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MMR vaccination uptake is at a 12-year low, separate figures show.
This year, only 85 per cent of five-year-olds are fully vaccinated with the MMR jab.
At least 95 per cent of people need to be vaccinated for herd immunity, according to the World Health Organization.
Measles is a highly infectious disease, spreading quickly from person to person, especially in schools.
It can sometimes cause pneumonia or even death in the most severe cases.
It is so contagious that a child with it will infect up to nine out of 10 children around them if none are vaccinated.
Measles deaths globally spiked by more than 40 per cent last year, a new report from the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows.
The research, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), revealed an 18 per cent rise in the estimated number of measles cases between 2021 and 2022.
That's an increase from about 7.8million cases to 9.2million.
Measles deaths increased by 43 per cent globally, from 95,000 in 2021 to 136,200 in 2022.
Experts put an increase and outbreaks and deaths down to declining vaccination rates.
Is your family at risk of measles?
The Notification of Infectious Diseases report (NOIDS), which tracks suspected infectious disease cases in England and Wales, showed cases were rising across both countries.
There were 547 suspected infections between July and November 12 - over double the 251 cases seen during the same period in 2022, the government data revealed.
Its most recent update showed 35 cases of measles in the week ending November 12, nine more than the same time last month.
The East Midlands is one of the hardest-hit areas in the UK within the last week - with eight positive tests.
The West Midlands comes next, with seven suspected cases, followed by London with five.
Wales comes in third with four cases, while the East of England and the North West both reported three cases each.
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The South West reported two infections.
Meanwhile, the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, and the South West all had one case each.
What the are the symptoms of measles?
MEASLES usually begins with cold-like symptoms.
These include:
- a high temperature
- a runny or blocked nose
- sneezing
- a cough
- red, sore, watery eyes
Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.
A blotchy red rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms. It starts on the face and behind the ears before moving to the rest of the body.
It usually clears in seven to 10 days but can lead to other serious complications.
Severe complications can occur, including miscarriage in pregnant women, brain swelling and the risk of death from pneumonia.
It's very unlikely to be measles if you've had both doses of the MMR vaccine or you've had measles before.
But it you think you or your child could have measles ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111.
Source: NHS