Measles sweeps England: low vaccination rates

He Birmingham Children’s Hospital (Birmingham Children’s Hospital) recorded no cases measles this time last year. However, over the past month they have already fifty children who were hospitalized, the highest number recorded in recent years, which explains low level of vaccination.

In particular, according to the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the region western Middle-earth the one that survived the biggest outbreak infection outside London. Just last month, laboratories confirmed 167 casesand 57 other suspects, according to Sky News, the highest number since the mid-1990s when the two-dose coronavirus vaccine was introduced. measles, piggy And rubella (MMR).

“Until two weeks ago, I had never seen a child with measles in my entire career as a pediatrician, and since then I have seen several cases every day.”

This represents more than a quarter of the total England and Wales -very few cases recorded in Scotland- where in 2023 1603 cases of suspected measles diagnosed by doctors, 735 more than in 2022. Additionally, 40% of children under five who test positive require hospital care.

“Until two weeks ago, I had never seen a child with measles in my entire career. pediatrics, and since then I see several people every day. None of them have received the MMR vaccine, or the first one, unless they were old enough to have received the pre-school vaccine,” Jonathan Adamson, a pediatric emergency physician at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said on social media X at the start of “Vaccinate Your Children.” ! – he asked his parents.

VACCINATION RATE WHICH IS DECLINED YEAR OVER

Figures published by the publication National Health Center (NHS) show how the number of children receiving two doses by age five has fallen. in constant decline since 2014, when a peak of 88.6% was reached. So, last season this percentage was 84.5%, Lower since 2010/2011. And to stop the spread of the virus, experts say, it is necessary to reach 95%.

“In a normal winter we won’t see a single case of measles”

“IN typical winter “We won’t see a single case of measles,” said Dr Neil Bugg, deputy medical director at Birmingham Women and Children NHS Foundation Trust, in a statement published by the BBC. “It is so contagious that if you put a child with measles in a room with 10 unvaccinated people, nine of them will be infected“, Add.

BEHIND THE PROBLEM “SPREADING FAKE NEWS”

And this region Englandformed by the union of several cities, has one of the lowest vaccination rates from all over the UK. In this sense, says Dr Naveed Siad, UKHSA consultant, the rise in cases as a result pandemic and the spread of fake news played a key role in the spread of measles.

“There are some Muslim communities who are worried about the vaccine because one of the MMR vaccines contains ingredients derived from Pork. However, there are other vaccines that do not contain pork or pork-derived ingredients and are completely safe. drive safely” says Navid Siad, who believes there are people who still don’t realize how serious measles can be.

“Some Muslim communities are concerned about the vaccine because it contains ingredients derived from pork.”

“Although most people recover within a few weeks, the virus can cause serious illness. Sometimes it can leave permanent disability and even cause death,” the expert says about the resurgence of the disease, which is also being observed throughout Europe.

Before the vaccine appeared in 1968 – two doses did not become a reality until 1996 – cases ranged from 160,000 to 800,000 per year in England and Wales. According to Sky News, MMR prevented 20 million cases of the disease and 4,500 deaths throughout Great Britain.