PARENTS must get their children vaccinated against measles before it’s too late, top scientists warn.
A staggering 3.4million kids are at risk of catching the virus as they have only had one or neither MMR jab to protect against it.
Hundreds have already fallen ill, and up to one in five infected over the coming weeks could require hospital treatment, the government says.
While measles usually triggers cold-like symptoms, it can lead to lifelong disabilities and even death.
It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.
To keep measles at bay, 95 per cent of children need to be vaccinated.
But NHS figures suggest the UK is at about 85 per cent overall.
Urgent, “concerted action” is needed to tackle the virus to stop the spread, according to health specialists and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told The Guardian: “The virus is spreading today so we need to be vaccinating children today.
“There isn’t any time to wait. This is urgent and tomorrow may be too late.”
There were 1,603 suspected cases of measles in England and Wales in 2023 – a sharp increase from the 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021.
The West Midlands has seen the largest spike, with 216 confirmed infections and 103 probable ones since October last year.
Four fifths have been found in Birmingham, while 10 per cent were identified in Coventry, with the majority being in children under 10.
The UKHSA has declared a national incident, which it said is an internal mechanism signalling the growing public health risk and enabling it to focus work in specific areas.
Official figures show uptake of the vaccine is at its lowest point in more than a decade.
In 2022/23, 84.5 per cent of youngsters in England had received both doses of the jab by the time they were five years old – the lowest level since 2010/11.
Some 92.5 per cent had received one dose.
‘Extremely worrying situation’
A campaign has been launched to encourage parents to get the MMR vaccine for their children.
Kids are offered their first dose aged one and their second at three years at four months, just before their start school.
However, if they, or any one else, has missed any jabs, they can catch up at any time through their GP surgery.
Unvaccinated children who come into contact with the disease are currently being advised to stay at home for 21 days.
Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: “Analysis shows that one infected child in a classroom can infect up to nine other unvaccinated children, making it one of the most infectious diseases worldwide.
“One in five children with measles will need to be admitted to a hospital for treatment – which could put additional pressure on the NHS – but it can be serious at any age.”
Mike Tildesley, professor of infectious disease modelling at the University of Warwick and an expert in disease spread, said getting jabbed was vital as the R number for measles – the number of people that one infected person will pass the illness on to – is much higher than for Covid.
“This means we need over 90 per cent of the population to be immune or you’re going to start seeing cases growing,” he said.
“We have childhood vaccinations for measles which for many years have helped us to get rid of the disease.
“Unfortunately, if those vaccination levels drop then we will start to see cases going up and that’s what we are seeing at the moment.”
Measles, which is highly infectious, can then “spread like wildfire”, Prof Pollard said.
“There will also be some completely healthy children who can get very severe illness or even die from this virus,” he added.
“It’s extremely worrying to be in this situation, where the spark of this fire has started, we don’t quite know where it will end, but we could stop it if we got vaccines out there to protect children.
“Each year that you have low coverage, there’s more and more children added to this pool of susceptible people, which means that when the virus does arrive, you can have these explosive outbreaks.”
What is the MMR vaccine?
THE MMR vaccine protects against three serious illnesses – measles, mumps and rubella (German measles).
It is very effective, and two doses provide the best protection.
After two, around 99 per cent of people will be protected against measles and rubella, and 88 per cent of people will be protected against mumps.
The jabs are given to babies and young children as part of the NHS vaccination schedule.
The first dose is given at one year, and the second at three years and four months, shortly before kids start school.
You can find out how many shots your child has by speaking to your GP. If you have missed any, you can always catch up.
It’s important to check you’ve had both doses if you:
Are about to start college or university
Are going to travel abroad
Are planning a pregnancy
Are a frontline health or social care worker
Were born between 1970 and 1979, as you may have only been vaccinated against measles
Were born between 1980 and 1990, as you may not be protected against mumps
The MMR vaccine can sometimes cause side effects, such as redness, swelling or a high temperature, but these are mild and do not last long.
Source: NHS
And it’s not just the UK. There has been an “alarming” 4,300 per cent rise in cases across Europe.
World Health Organization (WHO) data shows 42,200 cases were reported across 41 of the 53 member states in 2023, compared with 941 cases in 2022.
Two in five infections were in kids aged one to four, and one in five were among people aged 20 and over.
Nine children have died – one in Armenia, one in Azerbaijan and seven in Kyrgyzstan – and almost 21,000 have been hospitalised.
WHO blamed falling MMR vaccination rates and more people holidaying after Covid, spreading the disease over borders.
The countries with the highest number of measles cases last year were Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Romania, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Tajikistan and the UK.
Prof Pollard said: “There are measles outbreaks happening all over the world. This is a worrying moment globally.”
WHO’s regional director, Dr Hans Kluge, added: “Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease.
“Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to halt transmission and prevent further spread.
“It is vital that all countries are prepared to rapidly detect and timely respond to measles outbreaks, which could endanger progress towards measles elimination.”
The UK was declared measles-free in 2017 but lost that status in 2018 as a drop in vaccination rates allowed for a resurgence of the virus.
NHSA rash is one of the most common symptoms of measles – but not everyone will get one[/caption]
NHSIt is sometimes raised, and can be harder to see on darker skin tones[/caption]
NHSSome people with measles will get white spots inside their mouth[/caption]
The main symptoms of measles
MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people.
The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.
The first signs include:
A high temperature
A runny or blocked nose
Sneezing
A cough
Red, sore, watery eyes
Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later.
A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.
The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy.
The rash looks brown or red or white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin.
Complications are rare, but measles can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, seizures, and sometimes death.
Source: NHS