Concern in the UK is the rise in measles cases, which have quadrupled since 2021
Concern in Great Britain given the increasing incidence of measles and the likelihood of new outbreaks of the disease. According to the latest data available UK Health Safety Agency (Ukhsa) There were 1,603 suspected measles cases reported in 2023, more than double the number in 2022 (735) and four times the number in 2021 (360). NBirmingham Children’s Hospital (UK) is currently facing a major outbreak. Over the past month, more than 50 children have been hospitalized, the highest number in recent years. Among children under five, the infection appears to be spreading faster, and 40% of those who test positive need treatment. hospital care.
Health authorities attribute this exponential rise in cases to low vaccination rates. UK health officials have warned in recent hours about new shoots measles in England after cases in the region western Middle-earth According to the BBC, it will rise by more than 30 percent in less than a week. The region has seen the biggest rise in cases outside London. more than 300 suspected infections was reported between October 23 last year and Monday.
Doctor Ronnie Cheung a children’s consultant, warns in statements to the BBC that the infection “will cause children severe discomfort at best and death at worst.”
Official data shows measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations across the country are at their lowest levels in more than a decade. According to him National Health Service England, In December 2022, the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rate in the Birmingham region was around 83 per cent. For optimal protection of the population, a rate of at least 95 percent is required.
UK Health Security Agency data released on Monday showed there were 198 laboratory-confirmed cases and 104 “probable” cases in the West Midlands. The majority (80 per cent) were located in Birmingham, 8 per cent were found in Coventry and the remainder were scattered throughout the surrounding areas. Health authorities recommend that unvaccinated children who come into contact with the disease stay home for 21 days.
Doctor Chungsanitary doctor Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said: “(We need to) reassure people of the benefits and remind them of the potential risks of measles, which I think many people have forgotten.” Asked whether the country will see more outbreaks outside the West Midlands, he admits: “I’m afraid we will almost certainly see them, partly because we know vaccination rates are very low and uneven,” the BBC reports.
“There are areas where vaccination rates are much lower than others, usually in urban areas. Additionally, measles is incredibly contagious, so if there are areas where many people are not vaccinated, it only takes a few cases to cause a fairly significant outbreak. So, unfortunately, that’s what’s going to happen,” he says.
Helen BedfordProfessor of Child Health, Institute of Child Health Great Ormond Street from UCL, is urging people to get vaccinated. “About one in 1,000 people with measles develop brain inflammation, and even in high-income countries like the UK, around one in 5,000 die from the infection,” he says.
“There is no upper age limit for vaccination, so if you or your loved one has not yet received it, now is the time to get this protection. “We can stop this infection through vaccination,” he says. The main symptoms of measles include high fever, pain and watery red eyes, coughing, sneezing and a rash that usually appears after the first symptoms. “In a normal winter, we will not see a single case of measles,” the doctor noted. Neil BuggBirmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust’s deputy medical director told the BBC.