UK: Mass Jabs To Stop Measles Deaths

[Guest guest]

Has anyone ever heard such a hysterical headline? And each time they drag

up that poor boy who died from complications of measles and who had a

-pre-existing medical condition that made him vulnerable....

I'm looking for a brick wall to bang my head against!

http://news.sky

com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Measles-Outbreak-Mass-Vaccination-To-Prevent-Deaths-

rom-Cheshire-Epidemic/Article/200811415165895?f=rss

Mass Jabs To Stop Measles Deaths

1:23pm UK, Saturday November 29, 2008

May, North of England correspondent

A measles outbreak is threatening lives, prompting a mass vaccination

programme in one of the country's worst-hit areas.

Cases of the disease are soaring across England and Wales

Doctors are preparing to immunise residents in a small corner of east

Cheshire around Crewe, where almost 70 cases have been reported this year.

The alarming figures are worse than anywhere in England and Wales outside

London.

Dr Ayo Oyinolye, from Cheshire Health Protection Unit, told Sky News: " The

outbreak here is not showing any signs of tailing off.

" If we don't respond the infection will grow, and in the worst case scenario

we will see one or two deaths and many children suffering serious side

effects from the disease. "

Teams of nurses will vaccinate up to 10,500 children in 177 primary schools

and 33 secondary schools. The jab will also be offered to young staff

members.

Measles cases are soaring across England and Wales with 1,049 confirmed

cases so far this year, surpassing last year's total of 990.

Dr Rosemary McCann, from the Health Protection Agency, said: " Britain is on

the cusp of a measles epidemic because a large cohort of children and

teenagers missed out on MMR vaccination over the past five to 10 years. "

In 2006, a 13-year old boy from north west England became the first person

in the UK to die of the virus in 14 years.

Last August the Chief Medical Officer announced an MMR catch-up programme,

urging Primary Care Trusts and GPs to identify individuals not yet

vaccinated.

As a result of the recent outbreak in Cheshire, the local Health Protection

Unit has written to parents seeking urgent consent for their children to be

immunised.

Dr Oyinolye said: " This is a big step but it's a nasty disease which is

avoidable.

" So long as MMR uptake is low, we have a large number of children who are not

immune…the virus can easily spread across the country. "