Fw: PRO> Measles - UK (England)

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----- Original Message ----- From: ProMED-mail Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 9:04 PM promed@... Subject: PRO> Measles - UK (England) MEASLES - UK (ENGLAND)**********************A ProMED-mail post<http://www.promedmail.org>ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational Society for Infectious Diseases<http://www.isid.org>[see also:2001-------Mumps, consequence of reduced MMRV uptake - UK 20010806.1858Mumps, consequence of reduced MMRV uptake - UK (02) 20010831.2069Measles, surveillance - Switzerland 20010614.1149Measles - Spain (Balearic Is.) 20010630.12471999-------Measles - Netherlands 19990627.1085Measles - Netherlands (04) 19991231.22191997-------Measles, estimated fatalities - UK 19970520.1026][1]Date: Wed 6 Feb 2002, 13:11 GMTSource: BBC Online [edited]<http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1804000/1804587.stm>More measles cases confirmed; Health officials recommend the MMR jab-----------------------------------------Another 8 children have been confirmed as having the measles virus in asouth London outbreak. This means a total of 11 out of 31 suspected casesin Lambeth, Southwark and ham have now tested positive for the virus.A further 18 children are still under investigation and 2 tests have comeback negative. There have also been confirmed cases in the north east ofEngland.The results come as the government attacked "media hysteria" over thecontroversial MMR triple vaccine - and warned that lives are being put atrisk as fewer children have the jab.Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman called for some"perspective" on the issue, adding that it should not be a "politicalfootball". Shadow health spokesman Liam Fox said, whether rightly orwrongly, the public had lost confidence in the government's policy on MMR -the controversial measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. He wants parents tobe given the choice of a single vaccine.He said: "In the circumstances I think that reluctantly we have to acceptthat single jabs may be the only way of giving children protection."However, public health minister Yvette defended the MMR vaccine. Shesaid: "Let's not plant doubts in people's minds because that is not thesituation here. All the medical experts are categorically about this - theysay that MMR is the safest option."Lambeth, Southwark and ham has a very low uptake figure for thecontroversial Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. In the quarterleading to September 2001, only 65 percent of eligible toddlers wereimmunised.On average, there are fewer than 100 cases of measles nationally each year.Although the 2001 figures are not yet complete, 61 cases have so far beenconfirmed in that year.The 22 children under investigation had symptoms which could be early signsof measles, but which could also be signs of other conditions. Some in thisgroup are also believed not to have the MMR jab.Yearly figures from the Public Health Laboratory Service for the year fromApril 2000 to March 2001 showed 73 percent of children in Lambeth Southwarkand ham had been vaccinated before their second birthday. The figurefor 1990 to 2000 was 76 percent. Recommended coverage levels are 90 percent- the national average is approximately 84 percent.MMR can protect 90 percent of all children who have had the firstvaccination, a second dose raises the level of protection from measles to99 percent.******[2]Date: Sat 2 Feb 2002Source: The Times [edited]<http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2002054966,00.html>MMR uptake falls below risk level-------------------------THE national uptake of the MMR vaccine has dropped below the critical levelof 85 percent, the Health Department announced, as measles struck 2 nurseryschools in South London, where 3 children have fallen victim to measles anda further 22 suspected cases are being tested.The uptake of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has fallen aslow as 65 per cent in the area. National use has dropped under 85 percent the threshold below which epidemics become a serious risk for thefirst time since monitoring began.All of the 25 confirmed and suspected cases involve children between theages of 3 and 5. None is believed to be seriously ill. They had not beengiven the MMR injection, the Health Department said. Their parents saidthat they had refused the MMR jab for fear of associated health problems.The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam son, brushed aside fears aboutmeasles 3 weeks ago. "There is no epidemic of measles and there is noconcern that there will be," Sir Liam said at the launch of his strategyfor infectious diseases.London has one of the lowest uptakes in the country, with fewer than 75 percent of children given MMR. The World Health Organisation recommends a 95per cent coverage to ensure that immunisation programmes succeed. Coveragein the area of the Lambeth, Southwark and ham Health Authority, wherethe cases were confirmed, is among the lowest.The affected children are believed to attend 2 private schools. A spokesmanfor the White House Preparatory School in Clapham said that a single caseof the disease had been confirmed there. Parents said that children at thenearby Abacus Early Learning Nursery, Streatham, had fallen ill.Measles is responsible for more than one million deaths a year amongchildren in developing countries. In Britain it is rare, with only 101confirmed cases in England and Wales in 2000, and 61 last year.The danger of low vaccine coverage was shown by an epidemic in Dublin in2000 which infected more than 1000 children; 2 died.Symptoms include fever and a flat blotchy red rash 3 to 4 days after thestart of the illness, beginning on the face and behind the ears, andspreading to the whole body.Health officials have repeatedly insisted that the combined MMR, ratherthan single injections, is the best and most effective way to protectchildren against measles, mumps and rubella. MMR is normally given to achild at 12 to 15 months, with a booster dose between three and five yearsof age.Liam Fox, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: "The Government's immunisationpolicy is a public health disaster. Labour Health Ministers have simplyfailed to grasp the importance of establishing public confidence in the MMRvaccine."[byline: Nigel Hawkes and Peek]--ProMED-mail<promed@...>[The occurrence of a measles epidemic in the UK is a reminder that barriersto eradication of measles exist in developed countries as well as in thedeveloping countries. In the above described situation in the UK, thevaccination coverages with measles vaccine are significantly below the 95percent coverage necessary to interrupt transmission of measles virus.According to information on the Public Health Laboratory Service - UKwebsite, annual coverages of children in England and Wales by their secondbirthday with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine during the periods1995/1996 through 2000/2001 (in percent) were:92 / 92 / 91 / 88 / 88 / 87<http://www.phls.co.uk/facts/Vaccination/cover.htm> and<http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0121/>The number of laboratory confirmed cases of measles in England/Wales duringthe period 1996-2001 by year were:112 / 177 / 56 / 94 / 100 / 62* (* provisional reports for 2001)<http://www.phls.co.uk/facts/Immunisation/Measles/mmrconf.htm>(Additional information on the age and geographic distributions of casesreported by year since 1995 can be found at:<http://www.phls.co.uk/facts/Immunisation/Measles/measagereg.htm>The decreasing coverages with MMR vaccine in the UK have been attributed toa controversy surrounding the safety of the combined vaccine. Thissituation is reminiscent of a vaccine controversy on the safety of thepertussis component of the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) vaccine inthe UK in the late 1970s. As a result of the decreased coverages with DPTvaccine at the time, there was a major epidemic of pertussis in the UK withmore than 200 deaths attributed to pertussis, most of which werepreventable by vaccination.ProMED-mail does not intend to be a forum for discussion on vaccinecontroversies, but rather continue to serve as a forum for dissemination ofinformation on disease transmission and risk factors for the diseasetransmission. - Mod.MPP]...............................cp/jw/mpp/pg/es*##########################################################*ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports thatare posted, but the accuracy and completeness of theinformation, and of any statements or opinions basedthereon, are not guaranteed. 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