Health professionals push for measles vaccinations as cases soar

Ahead of the High Holy Days, medical professionals are renewing calls for families to ensure their measles vaccinations are up to date.

The plea comes as cases of the disease continue to rise in London, as children return to school and families prepare to gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

As reported by Jewish News, Charedi areas of north London are at risk due to lower take up of the free MMR vaccination for 4-11 year olds.

Measles can hospitalise as many as 2 in 5 cases. In some cases, it can lead to meningitis and infection throughout the body (sepsis), causing real risk to life.

Children should receive a first dose at one year of age and a second dose at three years and four months for full protection.

You can find out if your child is protected by checking their red book or by contacting your GP. If your child is missing an MMR or polio vaccination, you may be contacted by a health care professional and invited for a convenient appointment at a school or community clinic.

If your child contracts measles they may have to stay away from school for up to three weeks (21 days). The best protection for measles is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. If adults missed out when they were younger, they can also catch up and have a vaccine.

Tamara Djuretic, director of public health and prevention, Barnet council and Royal Free Group said: “The continued rise in measles cases in London boroughs is a big concern, especially because numbers of vaccinated children have dropped significantly in recent years.

“Now children are back at school they are exposed to another level of risk, as children mix in large numbers. I urge you to make sure you and your family are up to date with your MMR vaccinations to protect your loved ones from serious illness. Through quick action to get vaccinated, we can stop a measles outbreak from happening in our community.”

Sarah Weiss, policy and compliance officer at orthodox membership group the Interlink Foundation told Jewish News: “Communities with the lowest coverage of childhood immunisations are at the highest risk of the illnesses themselves. Addressing this sensitively using local intelligence, multiple community and statutory agencies have worked together to share information in key places.”

Weiss adds that the Charedi Women’s Health Alliance, a sub-group of Interlink, working with community and statutory partners, aims to address health inequalities in Charedi societies.

“The group has been instrumental in producing co-designed publicity and communications to improve immunisation uptake. Supported by the London Legacy and Health Equity Partnership, a booklet on frequently asked questions on immunisations, has recently been published, with endorsements from nine Charedi community organisations and five statutory agencies. Known community immunisations concerns are dealt with by professionals in a culturally sensitive way.”

She stresses the importance of  “consistent, steady advertising in local community advertisers”, coordinated by the immunisations co-ordinator, sharing important public health messages and extra clinic times to accommodate Charedi needs.

Recognising the local digital divide, Weiss says that information is “carefully crafted and shared creatively. The collective resolve and hard work of all, has been instrumental in more families taking up routine and catch-up vaccinations with growing demand. Efforts are paying off.”

Anyone with symptoms of measles is also being advised to stay at home and phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice.

Measles symptoms to be aware of include:

·       high fever

·       sore, red, watery eyes

·       coughing

·       aching and feeling generally unwell

·       a blotchy red brown rash, which usually appears after the initial symptoms.

You can find out more at: www.nhs.uk/mmr