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Measles alert in the United Kingdom
Wednesday 05-Sep-2007
Britain is experiencing its worst outbreak of measles for over 20 years. The Health Protection Agency is urging parents in the UK to ensure their children receive appropriate vaccination with the MMR vaccine.
As of June 2007, 136 cases had been recorded, however in the following 11 weeks this number more than trebled to 480. The outbreak is considered to be a direct result of the scare caused by the publication of an article in the Lancet in 1998 linking the MMR vaccine to autism.
The authors claims have since been thoroughly debunked, yet the uptake of this vaccine is still below acceptable levels in the UK - hence the current outbreak.
The combined vaccine consists of 2 jabs - one given at 12 months and
a "booster" between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Both injections are
necessary as up to 10 per cent of children are still not protected
against measles after the 1st one.
Measles is most common among children under 4 years, but can strike
in older children and adults too. It can have potentially fatal
complications including pneumonia, hepatitis, and swelling of the
brain. The disease is so dangerous because sufferers are infectious
for 3 days before their symptoms become apparent.
All travelers to the UK should ensure they are fully protected against measles. Most people born before 1966 have natural immunity to the disease. Everyone else should ensure they have received two doses of the measles or MMR vaccine during their lifetime.
We recommend that you consult one of our clinics as soon
as your itinerary is known so that a program of vaccination can be planned.
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