THE DANGEROUS DIP

By Jo Henwood

easles could reach epidemic levels in the city if parents miss their baby’s first MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab and a booster dose when they’re nursery age.

With a take up rate of both doses at just 68.6 percent, Liverpool has the lowest rate in the UK, outside London.

Nikki Wilinski, Mersey Care’s Vaccination and Immunisation Team Leader says that it is never too late to get vaccinated or receive a booster dose, and urges parents to check their child’s immunisation record, known as the Red Book, to make sure they are fully covered.

“Children tend to get the first vaccination of MMR as part of their regular 13 month baby immunisations but parents don’t always see it as a priority to get the booster jab.

“People have busy lives, and they may be back at work, so getting round to it can be more stressful.

“Age can also be a factor – the older the child, the more distressed parents think they may be. This is difficult for parents but it is very important to have both doses otherwise your child won’t have full protection from the diseases.”

One in five children in the UK who contract measles may end up in hospital and could miss about two weeks of school. Further complications can lead to blindness, ear infections, severe diarrhoea, dehydration, brain damage and even death.

It’s not just parents of babies who should be concerned. Teenagers and young people heading to music festivals this summer should be aware that these can be a hotbed for the spread of the disease, which can also cause severe breathing problems, including pneumonia.

There is of course a risk of side effects to any vaccine. Common side effects to the MMR vaccination can include a fever and redness near where the needle went in, with more uncommon ones resulting in swollen lymph glands, ear infections or diarrhoea and vomiting. In very rare cases, there is a chance of a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis but all health care workers who give vaccines will carry adrenaline to administer in these cases.

If you or your child’s vaccination records are not up to date, contact your GP who should be able to arrange an appointment.

Controversy

We may be almost 30 years on from Andrew Wakefield’s controversial claims (now discredited) that there was a connection between the MMR vaccine and Crohn’s disease and the development of autism, but it is still having an impact on take up.

WHAT IS MEASLES?

A highly contagious disease caused by a virus which is spread through coughs and sneezes.

MEASLES SYMPTOMS –WHAT TO LOOK

OUT FOR

• Cold like symptoms

• Red, sore and watery eyes

• Sensitivity to light

• High temperature

• Greyish white spots in the mouth and throat

A red brown rash usually appears a few days later, spreading from behind the ears to the rest of the body. This rash is easier to spot on white skin but may be more difficult to notice on brown or black skin.

Nikki said, “Those parents who were around when the claims were made are now grandparents and may be passing on their fears to their adult children.”

The possible links to autism and Crohn’s disease were investigated by Public Health England (now UK Health Security Agency) and have been proved wrong. The National Autistic Society states on its website that there is no link between autism and vaccines.

Roald Dahl’s famous BFG book is dedicated to his daughter Olivia who died, aged seven, of encephalitis or inflammation of the brain, following measles. Olivia was born in the 1950s before a reliable vaccination against the disease was available. The first measles vaccination was introduced in the UK in 1968 and UK Health Security Agency estimates that millions of cases and thousands of deaths have since been averted.

What should you do if you think your child has measles? Ask for an urgent GP appointment on the phone, call 111 or get help from 111 online: 111.nhs.uk

Don’t take your child to the GP practice or any other healthcare setting without calling ahead first, to avoid spreading the disease. Avoid close contact with babies, pregnant women, or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Further Information

For independent, evidence based information about vaccines and infectious diseases visit vaccineknowledge.ox.ac.uk