A Victorian era disease has broken out in a major UK city for the second time in two months. The latest outbreak comes two years after over 400 people were infected in the same city.
The latest data shows that 54 cases of measles, a disease associated with the Victorian era as overcrowded living conditions in the 19th century created the perfect environment for it to spread, have been detected in Birmingham. The highly contagious disease is mostly impacting unimmunised children under the age of five. It can be particularly serious to children under one, as well as pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system. Authorities say the best protection against the disease is the MMRV vaccine.
As reported by The Sunday Times, 89 cases of measles have also been confirmed in Enfield, north London, this year. The virus can spread easily in populated areas with large amounts of unvaccinated children.
Birmingham has one of the lowest vaccine update rates against measles of any UK city outside of London. Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) says 95% of children need to be vaccinated for herd immunity, this figure is just 73.5% for children under five in Birmingham and 71% in London.
Authorities in Birmingham are now urging parents to make sure their children are vaccinated. The NHS has put up over 300 billboards in the city to warn of the dangerous disease.
Katie Spence of the UK Health Security Agency in the West Midlands said: “What we have seen in Birmingham is a low-level, grumbling, series of measles cases for the first three months of this year.” She added the challenge was to “ensure people understood the severity that measles can present”.
Birmingham City Council is urging people to “take action” to prevent the spread of measles. They say the MMRV immunisation, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, is the best form of defence.
The council said: “Measles cases are spreading in Birmingham, with unimmunised children under 5 most affected. Take action now to protect yourself and others.”
They added: Measles is a highly contagious disease, which can be very serious, especially in children under one, pregnant women, and people with a weakened immune system.
“There have been recent measles cases in the region. The best protection against measles is two doses of the MMRV immunisation.”
The symptoms of measles include:
- cold-like symptoms such as runny or blocked nose, sneezing and cough
- red, sore watery eyes
- high temperature (fever) which may reach around 40OC / 104OF
- a non-itchy, red-brown rash usually appears 3-5 days after symptoms begin (sometimes starts around the ears before spreading to rest of the body), spots may be raised and join to form blotchy patches – which may be harder to see on darker skin tones
The NHS states: “Measles usually starts to get better in about a week. After seeing a GP, there are things you can do to help ease the symptoms and reduce the risk of spreading the infection.”
- rest and drink plenty of fluids, such as water, to avoid dehydration
- give your child paracetamol for children or ibuprofen for children if they’re distressed or uncomfortable – check the packaging or leaflet to make sure the medicine is suitable for your child, or speak to a pharmacist or GP if you’re not sure
- adults can take paracetamol or ibuprofen for a high temperature
- use cotton wool soaked in water that has been boiled and allowed to cool to gently remove any crusts from your or your child’s eyes
The NHS adds: “Stay off nursery, school or work for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears. Also try to avoid close contact with babies and anyone who is pregnant or has a weakened immune system.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
