MMR Vaccination Campaign

A total of 962 cases of measles have been confirmed in the first four months of 2013, this is the highest recorded number of cases since the enhanced surveillance commenced 18 years ago. The cases are distributed across England, with the highest totals being recorded in the North-West and North-East.

The key message from Public Health England is that unvaccinated individuals of any age will be at risk of contracting measles. Therefore, it is important that parents of unvaccinated children, as well as older teenagers and adults, who may have missed their routine MMR vaccinations, should make an appointment with their General Practitioner to get vaccinated.

Lancashire County council has responded to the national MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) catch up campaign by developing a young person's friendly campaign that will not only inform parents and encourage parents to check their child immunisation status but also inform young people of the dangers of not being vaccinated against measles.

The campaign was officially launched across Lancashire on the 1st July.

• Measles is at its highest level for the past 18 years. The only way to prevent measles outbreaks is to make sure there is good uptake of the MMR vaccine across all ages.
• Measles is often associated with being a disease of the past and as a result people may be unaware that it is dangerous and can lead to complications and event death in severe cases. Parents should ensure their children are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella with two doses of the MMR vaccine.
• Experts believe the current rise in measles cases can be attributed to the proportion of largely 10-16-year-olds who are unprotected because they missed out on vaccination in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when concern around a now-disproved link between autism and the MMR vaccine was widespread.
• Parents of unvaccinated children, as well as older teenagers and young adults, who may have missed MMR vaccination, should be aware it is never too late to get vaccinated against measles and they should make an appointment with their GP to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
• If you are unsure whether you or your child has had two doses of the vaccine, speak to your GP who will have a record.
• The illness: measles is an unpleasant illness which starts with a few days of cold-like symptoms and is then followed by a rash accompanied by high fever, red eyes and a cough. It can be particularly severe in babies under the age of one year, teenagers and older people, especially those who have a weakened immune system. In these groups, measles can cause complications including pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhoea and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
• Around one in every 10 children who get measles is admitted to hospital. In rare cases, people can die from measles. Measles in pregnant women can also be very serious and threaten the pregnancy.