MMR plea to parents following measles outbreak

28 October 2008

Latest reports confirm that there have been 22 GP diagnoses of measles in Cheshire and seven of these have been confirmed by laboratory tests. Further lab results are awaited.

The children affected are aged from one-year-and-five-months to 12 years. One required hospital treatment but has since recovered. The confirmed cases are from Middlewich, Sandbach, Congleton and Crewe.

MMR vaccination has been offered to household and other close contacts as recommended in national guidelines.

This is the third measles outbreak in the North West this year. Eight cases were reported in the Trafford area of Greater Manchester in the summer and five of these were confirmed by laboratory testing. Later there were 117 GP diagnosed cases in Blackpool, of which 39 were confirmed by lab tests.

Dr. Rosemary McCann, the Health Protection Agency's immunisation lead for the North West of England said: "We are on the cusp of a measles epidemic and we must do all we can to head it off by encouraging parents to immunise their children. The only sure way for a child to avoid measles is to have two doses of MMR vaccine, preferably by age five, but at any age up to 18 if people have been previously unvaccinated."

Dr. Sam Ghebrehewet, Consultant in Health Protection with the HPA's Cheshire and Merseyside Health Protection Unit, said: "It's worrying that we potentially have 22 cases of measles in Cheshire and my fear is that we will see further outbreaks, here and elsewhere in the region. Our priority is to improve MMR uptake rates and our PCT partners are working very hard to that end with schools, GP practices and parents."

Dr. Ghebrehewet stressed that measles is a serious illness that can cause complications such as meningitis and encephalitis. On rare occasions, it can kill. Anyone with concerns or seeking information about the MMR campaign should consult their family doctor.

Note to editors

Measles is an infectious viral illness that at one time affected up to 800,000 people every year. Since the introduction of measles vaccine, and especially since the introduction of MMR vaccine in 1988, the numbers of cases have reduced dramatically.

There is no specific treatment for measles. Doctors and nurses treat the symptoms by, for instance, reducing fever. (Aspirin should not be given to anyone under 16 years old). Occasionally, antibiotics may be needed to treat a secondary bacterial infection.

People are infectious from just before they become unwell until around four days after the onset of the rash. Those affected should stay off work or school for five days from the onset of the rash.

Classic symptoms of measles are:

Fever
Cough
Red and painful eyes
Swollen glands
Loss of appetite
Rash, which tends to follow 3-4 days after onset of the above symptoms

Most people will recover from measles without too many problems, but a significant number will develop complications. These may include:

Ear infection (one in 20)
Pneumonia/bronchitis (one in 25)
Convulsion (one in 200)
Diarrhoea (one in six)
Hospital admission (one in 100)
Meningitis/encephalitis (one in 1,000)
Late onset subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) (one in 8,000 children under two years old). SSPE is a rare degenerative neurological condition that can develop some years after measles infection. It causes brain damage and death. The risk is greatest in those who were infected with measles at a young age. The average interval from measles infection to onset of SSPE is eight years. Death invariably follows. Since the introduction of live attenuated measles vaccine in the 1960s, the incidence of SSPE has dramatically decreased.
Death (one in 2,500-5,000)
Further information is available from:
http://www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk/
http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/measles/menu.htm

Press release issued by Hugh Lamont, Communications Manager, HPA North West. Tel. 0151-482-5728 or 07764-906508.

Last reviewed: 30 October 2008