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10,500 Children to be offered MMR vaccine to curtail measles outbreak

28 November 2008

Central and Eastern Cheshire (CEC) PCT is to offer MMR vaccine to more than 10,500 children and teenagers in an attempt to curtail an outbreak of measles. There are now 68 reported cases in the locality and 19 have been confirmed by laboratory tests. The majority of the remainder are probable cases.

Most of the reported measles cases are in Sandbach, Middlewich and Crewe, but there have also been reports from Congleton, Nantwich and Winsford.

Dr. Guy Hayhurst, Consultant in Public Health with CEC PCT, said: "We identified 10,534 children who had no record of full MMR immunisation and wrote to their parents to seek consent for them to be vaccinated in school. We hope that by doing this we will halt the current outbreak in its tracks, or at least severely curtail it."

Teams of nurses will vaccinate the children and teenagers in 177 primary schools and 33 secondary schools. MMR vaccine will also be offered to younger school staff members. The mass vaccination programme will begin on Wednesday 3 December and is expected to be completed by 17 December.

"There's a real threat of measles out there, not just in Central and Eastern Cheshire, but throughout the country. It is imperative for parents to give consent for their children to be vaccinated or we will see many more cases," Dr. Hayhurst added.

"Measles can be a very nasty illness with a potential for serious side effects. In rare cases it can kill. MMR is a safe and proven vaccine. I would urge all parents to give consent for their children to be protected now and not to leave things to chance.

"This will be a major operation that will place a considerable strain on our human resources, but it has to be done in the interests of the wider public health."

Dr. Sam Ghebrehewet, the HPA's Immunisation Lead for Cheshire and Merseyside, said: "We fully support the PCT in this major drive to protect children and young people and prevent any further spread of measles in Cheshire and it is very important for parents to take up this offer of immunisation for 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 previously unvaccinated. Anyone who is currently unprotected should take this chance to be vaccinated now."

Note to editors

The 10,534 who will be vaccinated range in ages from Reception Year children in primary school to Year 11 pupils in secondary school.

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. However, a fall in MMR uptake rates in recent years has left an unprotected cohort of children and there is a real risk of measles spreading amongst them, as is happening in Central and Eastern Cheshire and in some other parts of the UK.

Classic symptoms of measles are fever, cough, red and painful eyes, swollen glands, loss of appetite and a rash that tends to follow 3-4 days after the onset of 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: 28 November 2008