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Measles 'could hit tens of thousands'
Ellen Widdup01.07.08
London is on the brink of a measles epidemic that could infect tens of thousands of people, a public health chief claims.
The virus, which is potentially lethal to children, has hit hundreds in the capital in recent months, 500 of whom live in Lewisham.
Simon Tanner, regional director of Public Health London, blamed a failure by parents to give their children the triple measles, mumps and rubella jab.
He told the London Assembly's health and public services committee: "Right now measles presents the most severe risk of any contagious illness.
"Some people consider it to be a trivial illness. It is not. One in four people end up in hospital and the recent outbreaks in London have affected all ages - adults and children.
"This is chiefly due to a failure in immunisation programmes in the capital."
The current take-up rate of MMR jabs at the age of two is 70 per cent, down from 90 per cent in 1996.
There was a public backlash against the vaccine after a 1998 research paper, which has since been discredited, linked it to autism.
Mr Tanner said: "We have some PCTs with rates of 80 per cent and some in the 50s, such as Lewisham at 52 per cent. It is no surprise that about 500 people there were affected by an outbreak earlier this year."
He added: "We could be looking at an outbreak affecting numbers in five figures."
The Health Protection Agency has signed an EU agreement to eradicate measles by 2010. But Mr Tanner said this would be difficult unless it could better spread the message about the safety and importance of the MMR vaccination.
He said more work was needed to give people confidence in the immunisation programme.
"This is safe, effective and prevents an outbreak of a very serious illness."
Reader views (9)
Measles epidemic scare stories have consistently been occuring since the early 1990s. Measles has been grossly exaggerated to justify the use of the MMR vaccine and to frighten parents into allowing their children to be vaccinated. Measles has been consistently declining over the last 100 years, and as with all of these diseases there are peaks and troughs in the number of cases - however, overall it is declining! Improved health from better living conditions, better nutrition etc is the reason for this decline.
In the British Medical Journal in 1959, when they had reported that there had been 51,000 cases of measles, it was described as the 'most commonest disease and normally a mild infection, complications are rare'. A much more realistic viewpoint then, but of course there was no measles vaccine to promote.
Parents must starting doing there own independent research and come to their own conclusions - I can't emphasise this enough!!
- Magda Taylor, Worthing
Not all children are suitable for the MMR, or single
measles vaccine.
If the child has allergies and a strong family medical
history of autoimmune disease they are at more risk of
vaccine damage from live virus vaccines.
Irish Vaccine Informed Parents
- Mairead Hilliard, Dublin Ireland
Dr. Bernadine Healy, former Director of the US National Institute of Health, argues for more research into a possible vaccine autism.
Why is this not in all the newspapers in the UK.
Are you telling me that this government are not only going to ignore the parents but also the experts who have concerns.
Are you ready to place your child into a lottery?
I did and they are both damaged. Who is responsible for them now? Who has a duty of care for the children in this country? I am told the Department of Health don't and never have.
- Isabella Thomas, Somerset
Single jabs would not force parents to play Russian Roulette with cocktails of vaccines that are lethal. For the sake of herd immunity we succumbed to scaremongering and our perfect precious baby had the MMR vaccine.
The high-pitched scream persisted as the urabe Mumps strain shot his brain to pieces and he lost all senses as a result, this remains as vivid as the green gunge he discharged and the projectile vomiting that occurred in the instant destruction of his gut from the live Measles virus that poisoned his system from within, not forgetting how the Rubella virus attacked his joints and limbs before he lapsed into unconsciousness and was given the last rites.
Against all odds he came through but brain damaged, so suffers a life sentence of a living dead existence and all for the greater good, of whom I wonder? Certainly not for the 1 in 100 that now suffer to a greater or lesser extent.
We contracted measles, mumps and rubella naturally in the 1950/60’s and with only the most basic of care available at home, made a full recovery along with all our friends who attended the infected parties arranged in our honour. The only lasting memory of the ‘killer’ measles was cotton wool in our ears and wearing sunglasses, a small price to pay for life-long immunity.
Complications, brain damage or even death by catching these viruses naturally, would have been far easier to cope with, then knowing we allowed our baby to be destroyed in this most barbaric and inhumane way
- Elayne, Kent, UK
If the government are so worried then why not bring back the single measles vaccine. The biggest disaster in the UK and abroad is the amount of very sick children suffering from autism, asthma, bowel disease, etc.
4.000 plus families taking the US government to court over side effects of vaccines. To make a safer vaccine you need to listen to the parents.
- Isabella Thomas, Somerset
Perhaps the only way of forcing irresponsible parents to take their children's health seriously is to do what we do here in Australia. If you don't have your child fully immunised, you are banned from receiving national Government child care assistance and in some cases, children which are not immunised are refused entry to schools and child care centres. Its the only sensible way to protect the community.
- Jeff Bronstein, Hobart, Australia
Yes it is about time they re-instated the single jabs instead of the MMR. Too many children have been affected by the triple jab, not only children with Autism but we have more children who have learning difficulties, allergies, bowel problems and behavioural difficulties etc The main culprit for all these damaging conditions is the MMR but have all the safety studies been properly carried out on all the vaccines that are being given to our children. Please note that many of the medical profession actually go private for the single jabs instead of the MMR.
- Joan Campbell, Glasgow Scotland
Its the whooping cough vaccine that is given to babies at 2 months that parents should be concerned about. Drug companies did not even bother to remove mercury from this vaccine until 2003. It is still dangerous even now, babies can have an adverse reaction to this vaccine and I believe it is this that causes autism. Everyone is looking at the mmr vaccine which is given at 12 months when the real damage is being done to babies at 2 months. Doctors give the same dose to babies at 2 months whether they are 10 lbs or 25 lbs. My advice is to research the dtp Whooping cough vaccine on the internet before you allow it to be given to your child. I did not do this and unfortunately my child got his jabs at 2 months he is now autistic and I noticed a difference in him on the morning after the injections. Just remember you can always delay the whooping cough vaccine until they are 12 months.
- James, falkirk UK
Measles is a serious problem but public faith in the MMR jab is low. Here's an idea - why not allow single measles jabs on the NHS? The current insistence on MMR as the only solution is a bit like banning organic food and forcing everyone to eat conventionally-produced food. Is consumer choice such a bad thing?
- Colin, London
