Increase in Measles Cases – Important Information for Community and Faith Leaders

• Over 200 people in the West Midlands have been infected with measles and several thousand more are at risk of becoming ill because they have been in contact with someone who was ill. Most of those infected are people who have not had their measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.
• We are seeing an increasing number of people and are concerned this may rise quickly because of our low vaccination rates.
• Measles is a very infectious disease which means it can spread quickly among communities, such as schools and nurseries if people have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine.
• However, measles does not just affect young children – anyone who has missed their MMR vaccination can get measles.
• While most people recover completely within a couple of weeks, measles can cause very serious illness – sometimes leading to permanent disability and in rare cases, death.
• People in certain at-risk groups, including babies and small children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immunity are at increased risk of complications if they catch measles.

Please make sure you and your family have had two doses of the MMR vaccine

Vaccination with TWO doses of MMR is the only way to give people maximum protection. MMR is part of the NHS routine childhood vaccine schedule, and protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

• 1st dose should be given just after the child’s first birthday
• 2nd dose at 3 years 4 months and certainly before children start school full time
• However, you can have the MMR vaccine at any age. MMR can be given to older children, teenagers and adults if they missed their injections when they were younger.
• It is safe, effective, and free of charge
• For people who do not touch any pork products, there is a version of the MMR vaccine, Priorix, which has no pork ingredients. You can request Priorix from your GP.

What to do if anyone in your family is not up to date with their MMR vaccinations

If anyone in your family is not up to date with their MMR, contact your GP surgery to arrange vaccination as soon as possible.

• You can make an appointment with your GP to get up to date with MMR vaccines
• If you are not sure if your child needs an MMR vaccine, you can:
• ➢ Check your child’s Red Book
• ➢ contact the GP to check •
• People should also make sure they are up to date with their MMR vaccines before going to large gatherings and festivals or abroad on holiday, and before older children start college or university

About measles

• The first signs of measles are:

➢ high temperature

➢ runny or blocked nose

➢ sneezing

➢ cough

➢ red, sore, watery eyes

➢ rash, which usually appears a few days after cold-like symptoms (sometimes it starts around the ears before spreading to the rest of the body)

What to do if you think your child has measles

• Contact your GP by phone for advice.
• Please do not just turn up to your GP, walk-in centre, or any other healthcare setting without calling ahead, as measles is very infectious – the doctor will make special arrangements to see your child so that, if they have measles, they won’t pass it to others.
• people remain infectious until at least 4 days after the onset of the rash – so they should stay off nursery/ school/ university/ work/ other group activities until then

For more information

• More information on measles is available on the NHS website here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/

• More information on the MMR vaccine is available on the NHS website here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine