HEALTH chiefs are pleading with parents to get the MMR vaccine after a child has died from measles.
Over 2,000 people have fallen ill in Engalnd during 2024, in the largest outbreak of the previously eradicated disease in over a decade.
In some areas of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham, as few as half of children have received both doses of the lifesaving vaccine.
The unnamed child is believed to have died from the disease in the first quarter of the year, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
Figures from the health body show another 78 measles cases have been confirmed in England in the past fortnight.
It takes the total number of cases across the country this year up to 2,465.
Dr Vanessa Saliba of the UKHSA said “With measles continuing to circulate in England and sadly one death in a young person, ensuring timely vaccination has never been more important.”
Two-thirds of cases are in children under the age of 10, they said.
There are thought to have been 329 cases in the West Midlands alone – mainly driven by cases in Birmingham – where infections are at their highest levels since the 1990s.
Next came London, with 172 cases reported in Lambeth and 145 in Wandsworth this year.
Uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab is lower than it has been for more than a decade.
The NHS in England has launched a vaccine catch-up programme after figures showed 3.4million children are not fully immunised.
Only around 85 per cent of kids have had both MMR vaccine doses by age five, but the figure needs to be above 90 per cent to stop outbreaks.
“Measles is preventable with two doses of the MMR vaccine, but many thousands of children around the country are still not vaccinated and may be at risk of serious illness or life-long complications,” Dr Vanessa added.
“No parent wants this for their child.
“Don’t put it off, please act today so we can ensure that all children are given the best protection,” she said.
Measles commonly causes a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, sore throat and a distinctive rash – with the virus usually clearing within two weeks.
But it can lead to lifelong disabilities and even death.
In rare cases, it can cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which causes the brain to swell.
SSPE causes memory loss, mood changes, involuntary jerking movements, muscle spasms, and occasional blindness.
Eventually, patients may become comatose or enter a persistent vegetative state – and death is inevitable as a result of fever, heart failure, or the brain’s inability to control vital organs.
How to keep your child safe
Children are offered their first dose at age one and their second at three years and four months, just before they start school.
However, if they, or anyone else, miss any jabs, they can catch up at any time at their GP surgery.
Unvaccinated children who come into contact with the disease are currently being advised to stay at home for 21 days.
People should also avoid shopping and public transport if they fall ill, experts have said.
This is because measles is highly contagious, with a patient typically passing the infection on to 20 others.
Expert answers MMR questions
TO help deal with parental concerns, Professor Helen Bedford, a specialist in child public health at University College London, tells you all you need to know about the MMR vaccine.
When is the vaccine given?
The MMR vaccine is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.
It’s typically given via a single shot into the muscle of the thigh or the upper arm.
The first dose is offered to children at the age of one (babies younger than this may have some protection from antibodies passed on from their mother, which start to wear off at about 12 months.)
The second dose is then offered to children aged three years and four months before they start school.
To check to see if you or your child have had the recommended two doses of MMR, you can look at their/your Personal Child Health Record, also known as the red book.
If you can’t find the red book, call your GP and ask them for your vaccine records.
You are never too old to catch up with your MMR vaccine.
If you see from your vaccination records that you did not receive two doses as a child, you can book a vaccination appointment.
Is the vaccine safe?
The MMR vaccine is safe and effective at preventing measles, mumps and rubella.
In the UK, we started using the jab in 1988, so we have decades of experience using it.
The jab is made from much-weakened live versions of the three viruses.
This triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that are protective in the face of future exposure.
It takes up to three weeks after having the vaccine to be fully protected.
Like any vaccine, the MMR jab can cause side-effects, which are usually mild and go away very quickly.
This includes rash, high temperature, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell for about two or three days.
There is also a very small chance children can have a severe allergic reaction.
But compared to the complications of measles, there is no contest that vaccination is by far the safest and most effective route to take.
Why was it linked with autism?
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues published a now-discredited paper in medical journal The Lancet.
The paper suggested that the MMR vaccine might be associated with autism and a form of bowel disease.
It led to a sharp decline in vaccination rates.
Even at the time, the research was considered poor.
The Lancet retracted the story in 2010 after Wakefield’s article was found “dishonest” by the General Medical Council.
He was later struck off and subsequently, in 2011, the British Medical Journal declared the story fraudulent.
Does it contain ingredients from pigs?
There are two types of MMR jabs: One with gelatin (animal/pig collagen), and one without it.
For some religious groups, the inclusion of pig products is not acceptable.
Those people should ask for the vaccine without gelatin.