Health officials are scrambling to tackle an alarming surge in measles across England, amid ‘worryingly low’ uptake of the MMR jab.
Cases have risen to their highest level in a decade, fueled by an escalating crisis in the epicenter of the West Midlands.
But bosses at the UK’s Health Security Agency today revealed that they are ‘now starting to see clusters of cases in other regions’.
Only half of children in parts of London have had vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella.
Similar low levels are also seen in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.
Surveillance figures from the UKHSA show a further 56 cases were confirmed in England last week, matching levels seen over the past two weeks. The total number since the outbreak of the current crisis in October has exceeded 500, raising fears that efforts to contain the ‘national incident’ are not working.
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While the West Midlands, particularly Birmingham, accounted for more than half of measles cases last month, officials noted that figures have stabilised. Twelve per cent of cases were recorded in London, with one in ten in the North West and a similar proportion in Yorkshire and The Humber. Parents are urged to check that their children have had both doses of the jab
Cold symptoms, such as fever, coughing and a runny or stuffy nose, are usually the first sign of measles. A few days later, some people develop small white spots on the inside of their cheeks and the back of their lips. The characteristic rash of measles also develops, usually starting on the face and behind the ears, before spreading to the rest of the body.
Surveillance figures from the UKHSA show a further 56 cases were confirmed in England last week, matching levels seen over the past two weeks.
The total since the outbreak of the current crisis in October is well over 500, raising fears that attempts to contain the ‘national incident’ will not work.
While the West Midlands, particularly Birmingham, accounted for more than half of measles cases last month, officials noted that figures have stabilised.
Twelve per cent of cases were recorded in London, with one in ten in the North West and a similar proportion in Yorkshire and The Humber.
fatherRents have been urged to check that their children have had both doses of the jab.
Without the two MMR jabs, experts warn they risk becoming seriously ill from the highly contagious virus and passing it on to others.
Measles, which causes flu-like symptoms as well as a skin rash, can cause very serious and even fatal health complications if the disease spreads to the lungs or brain.
It is estimated that one in five children who become infected will be hospitalized, with one in fifteen developing serious complications such as meningitis or sepsis.
Dr. Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, said: ‘As expected, we are now starting to see clusters of cases in other regions due to worryingly low uptake of MMR vaccines in some areas in the country.
‘While parents are coming forward to accept the offer of the MMR vaccine for their children, there are still hundreds of thousands of children who remain unprotected and therefore remain at risk of serious complications or lifelong disability.
‘But measles is completely preventable with vaccination. I strongly urge parents to take up the offer of the MMR vaccine now to ensure their child is protected.”
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide up to 99 percent protection against the trio of diseases, which can lead to meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.
At least 95 percent of the population must be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks, guided by public health.
But nationally the percentage of five-year-olds fully vaccinated has fallen to 84.5 percent – the lowest in more than a decade.
The latest NHS Digital also shows that four in 10 children in parts of England will not have had both MMR jabs by the time they turn five.
Only 56.3 percent of young people in Hackney, east London, were fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella in 2022/2023.
After Hackney came Camden (63.6 percent) and Enfield (64.8 percent).
Outside London, the lowest uptake rates for both doses among five-year-olds were recorded in Liverpool (73.6 per cent), Manchester (74.5 per cent) and Birmingham (75.1 per cent).
In England, 89.3 percent of two-year-olds received their first dose of the MMR vaccine in the year to March 2023 (blue line), compared to 89.2 percent the year before. Meanwhile, 88.7 percent of two-year-olds had both doses, up from 89 percent a year earlier
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Acceptance of the MMR jab collapsed in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the wake of a 1998 study by now-discredited doctor Andrew Wakefield, which wrongly linked the jabs to autism.
NHS chiefs launched a catch-up jab program last month, with 3.4 million children under 16 feared to be unprotected.
Invitations have also been sent to people up to the age of 25 in parts of the Midlands, Greater Manchester and London who have not had both MMR doses.
It comes as England’s top doctor today warned that pressure on NHS hospitals is ‘not easing’ this winter.
New weekly figures published today show that there were three times as many flu patients in hospital every day last week (2,390) than in the same week last year (737).
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, said: ‘It is clear that the significant pressures the NHS has experienced this winter are showing no sign of abating, with thousands of extra beds occupied and three times as many flu patients as last year, to boot. of the continued high demand for ambulance services and NHS 111.”
Dr. Tim Cooksley, former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, also warned that the pressures hospitals are facing show the ‘NHS is in eternal winter’.
He added: ‘The pressures across the system are perfectly and bleakly illustrated in emergency care, where patients face appalling conditions and lengthy waiting times.’