Measles outbreak sparks warning as parents urged ‘vaccinate your children’

Parents are being warned to check their children have been vaccinated after an outbreak of measles.

Health bosses have reported a large increase of the disease in Greater Manchester over the last three months, with 32 confirmed cases in the region so far.

Most of these cases are are among unvaccinated youngsters, Public Health England say.

Parents are being urged to make sure that they, their children and teenagers have had two doses of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.

NHS chiefs say people should be aware of the signs and symptoms of the highly-infectious bug following the recent surge, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Dr Kristina Poole, Consultant in Health Protection at PHE North West, said: "Over the last three months we have seen a large increase in confirmed cases of measles across Greater Manchester.

"This is of concern as measles is a very infectious virus and the majority of the cases are in unvaccinated children.

"Measles can spread rapidly among communities if people have not been fully immunised.

"While most people who catch measles will recover completely within a couple of weeks, it’s important to remember measles can be a very serious illness that can leave permanent disability, and occasionally even kill.

"MMR not only protects them, but also limits the chances of the virus spreading more widely, for example to children who are too young to have the vaccine and to adults who may be more vulnerable to the disease.

"MMR is a highly effective and safe vaccine."

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness.

Anyone with symptoms is also being advised to stay at home and phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice in the first instance to prevent the illness spreading further.

People are advised not to visit their GP surgery or local A&E department to prevent the illness spreading any further.

Symptoms of measles

• high fever
• sore, red, watery eyes
• coughing
• aching and feeling generally unwell
• a blotchy red brown rash, which usually appears after the initial symptoms.

What you should do if your child has measles

Public Health England advises people with symptoms to:

• Stay away from school, nursery or work until five days have elapsed after the onset of a rash.
• Telephone your GP or NHS walk-in centre before attending so that arrangements can be made for you to be treated in a separate area to prevent spread to other vulnerable patients.
• Avoid contact with people generally, but particularly babies, pregnant women and anyone who is known to have poor immunity to infection.
• Further information is available at:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/

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