East Riding Officials Give Measles Warning

Every case of measles is a cause for concern and a rise locally and nationally is a step backwards, local health officials have said.

In a joint statement, the council and the NHS’s Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said people should check if they are vaccinated, particularly those in their 20s.

East Riding Council’s public health outbreak control lead Hannah Broadwell said people measles could spread much more easily than flu or the common cold.

It comes as figures showed there has been one suspected cases of measles in the East Riding since the start of this year, though that has not been confirmed.

The cases in East Yorkshire are among the 959 suspected infections found in England and Wales so far this year.

The figure compares to the 368 laboratory confirmed cases of measles found during the whole of 2023 and 54 in 2022.

And it comes after the World Health Organisation declared measles eradicated in the UK in 2017.

Measles is a respiratory disease that is highly infectious and is most common in children.

It can cause a high fever, runny nose and rashes along with potentially serious complications, including death in the worst cases.

Measles, mumps and rubella together can result in meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.

Having two measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine doses protects around 99 per cent of people from measles while there is no known cure for those who catch it.

But the percentage of those with two doses has fallen to its lowest level since 2011, 85.4 per cent.

Local clinicians and councillors say they were aware that some people in their 20s may not have the jab because of misinformation that circulated about it in the late 1990s.

Some claimed at the time that the MMR jab was linked to autism in children but the claims have been repeatedly discredited.

Officials added:

“The WHO declared measles as officially eradicated in the UK in 2017, so even this small number means we are moving backwards, locally and nationally.

“The best way to protect yourself and others is to get the MMR vaccine.

“This is a vaccine which can be given at any age and it’s easy to check with your GP, who can book you in if needed.

“Measles spreads very easily amongst people who have not been vaccinated and, like the rest of the country, we have seen a steady decline in vaccinations in recent years, which means more people are at risk.

“Those at increased risk include babies, small children, pregnant women and those with vulnerabilities.

“Measles is not a mild condition, children who get measles can be very poorly and some can suffer life-changing complications.

“Children may need to go to hospital and in very rare cases, measles can even be fatal.

“A high number of vaccinated people protects individuals and the wider community, as it’s simply not possible for the virus to spread very far.

“It’s important for students to check they have been vaccinated and get up-to-date if not, registering with a new GP is a good time to do this.

“We know there are people in their 20s who were perhaps not vaccinated due to widespread misinformation about the vaccine around the time they would have received it.

“This misinformation was been repeatedly and thoroughly discredited, and the vaccine is safe and effective”.

The East Riding Council’s public health official Ms Broadwell said their vaccine uptake was the highest in Yorkshire but it came amid a national decline.

The official said:

“This has led to the measles outbreaks we are currently seeing in some towns and cities.

“If there were to be a measles outbreak in our region, the more people that can be vaccinated the better to prevent it spreading further across the community and wider population.

“This is particularly important when it comes to young children, anyone planning to get pregnant, those with a weakened immune system or a long-term health condition.

“Over the next couple of months MMR reminders will be sent out by the NHS to parents and guardians of all children aged six to 11 years old, so please check your child’s red book or ask your GP and make an appointment to catch up if you haven’t had both doses, it’s never too late.”