Parents and carers are being urged to make sure their children have received all routine childhood vaccines as new cases of an illness that can turn serious have been recorded.
Earlier this month, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a warning about measles, an illness it described as “nearly twice as contagious” as the common cold.
Health bosses want parents and carers to confirm their children have had all their routine childhood jabs, including polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. This follows a drop in MMR vaccination rates over recent years.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 847 laboratory confirmed cases of measles in England, according to the latest data.
This represents a rise of 36 cases over the past month.
The majority of these cases (69%) occurred in children aged 10 years and under, whilst some 26% were in young people and adults aged 15 years and over.
Health officials caution that measles can result in complications such as “ear infections, pneumonia, and inflammation of the brain which require hospitalisation and on rare occasions can lead to long term disability or death”.
Anyone uncertain whether their child is current with all their routine vaccinations should examine their child’s red book (personal child health record) initially.
If you’re unsure or need to update your child’s vaccinations, contact your GP surgery to verify, and arrange an appointment. Measles usually starts with symptoms similar to those of a common cold, followed by a rash a few days later.
Some may also develop small spots in their mouths.
The rash begins on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. The measles rash spots can occasionally be raised and merge to form blotchy patches, but they’re not typically itchy.
Measles is known as a Victorian disease as it was very common during that era. For more information about vaccinations, symptoms, and when to seek medical assistance, visit the NHS website.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
