'CLOCK IS TICKING'
Nine children die of measles amid ‘alarming resurgence’ as cases surge 4,300% across Europe
Plus, all the signs and symptoms you need to watch out for
MEASLES has seen an “alarming” 4,300 per cent rise in Europe, the World Health Organisation has warned.
Some 42,200 cases were reported across 41 of the 53 member states in 2023, compared with 941 cases in 2022.
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Two in five infections were in kids aged one to four, and one in five were among peopled aged 20 and over.
Nine children have died - one in Armenia, one in Azerbaijan and seven in Kyrgyzstan.
Almost 21,000 have been hospitalised.
WHO blamed falling MMR vaccination rates and more people holidaying after Covid, spreading the disease across borders.
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Measles can lead to lifelong disabilities and even death.
It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.
WHO’s regional director, Dr Hans Kluge, said: "We have seen a rise in measles cases, but also nearly 21,000 hospitalisations and five measles-related deaths (reported in two countries).
"Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease.
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"Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to halt transmission and prevent further spread.
"It is vital that all countries are prepared to rapidly detect and timely respond to measles outbreaks, which could endanger progress towards measles elimination."
What we are seeing at the moment with measles is that people have forgotten what a serious illness it is
Prof Dame Jenny Harries
The countries with the highest number of measles cases last year were Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Romania, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Tajikistan and the UK.
UK figures show there have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands since October last year.
Catch up MMR jabs available - is your child eligible?
In response, a campaign has launched to encourage parents to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for their children.
Kids are offered their first dose aged one and their second at three years at four months, just before they start school.
However, if they, or any one else, has missed any jabs, they can catch up at any time through their GP surgery.
On Friday, the head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned the UK is on a "trajectory for everything getting much worse" when it comes to measles spreading.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries said that "concerted action" is needed to tackle the virus.
She suggested the majority of people are not against their child receiving the MMR jab, but that they need more information to feel confident about their decision.
She added: "What we are seeing at the moment with measles is that people have forgotten what a serious illness it is.
"We have had very high vaccination rates, especially for young families, but they are low at the moment."
The main symptoms of measles
MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people.
The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.
The first signs include:
- A high temperature
- A runny or blocked nose
- Sneezing
- A cough
- Red, sore, watery eyes
Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later.
A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.
The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy.
The rash looks brown or red or white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin.
Complications are rare, but measles can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, seizures, and sometimes death.
Source: NHS
Vaccination rates across the country have been dropping, but there are particular concerns about some regions, including parts of London and the West Midlands.
'National incident' declared
The UKHSA has declared a national incident, which it said is an internal mechanism signalling the growing public health risk and enabling it to focus work in specific areas.
Official figures show uptake of the vaccine is at its lowest point in more than a decade.
In 2022/23, some 84.5 per cent of youngsters in England had received both doses of the jab by the time they were five years old - the lowest level since 2010/11.
Some 92.5 per cent had received one dose.
Mike Tildesley, professor of infectious disease modelling at the University of Warwick and an expert in disease spread and Covid, said the R number for measles - the number of people that one infected person will pass the illness on to - is much higher than for Covid.
"This means we need over 90 per cent of the population to be immune or you're going to start seeing cases growing," he said.
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"We have childhood vaccinations for measles which for many years have helped us to get rid of the disease.
"Unfortunately, if those vaccination levels drop then we will start to see cases going up and that's what we are seeing at the moment."