The MMR minefield

Warnings of a measles outbreak

Such has been the concern over MMR many parents have refused to have their children vaccinated. Uptake rates, which stood at 92% in 1992 have now fallen to 75% in some parts of the country. Other parents are requesting that the triple vaccine is administered to their children in single doses. This can mean a time delay in the immunisation schedule and reduced protection. As a result, the Government’s public health scientists warn that measles is making a comeback. There is already an increase of measles in Ireland, where two babies recently died of the infection. The vaccine can prevent measles in 90% of all immunised children, and a second dose raises protection to 99%.

How dangerous is measles?

The comic depiction of a spotty-faced child belies the fact that measles can be serious. These are the facts:

• Before a vaccine was developed this highly infectious viral illness was common in Britain, and every year it took lives and left children permanently disabled.
• Most children recover well, but for a few there are complications including infection of the middle ear and bacterial pneumonia, both of which can be treated with antibiotics.
• In about 1 in 1,000 cases, encephalitis occurs, an inflammation of the brain, which can cause long-term brain damage.
• A rare complication of measles is subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which causes the destruction of the nervous system and death. The measles virus can stay dormant for seven years and be reactivated later, causing this catastrophic condition.
• Between 1970 and 1989 in England and Wales, SSPE occurred at a rate of 4 per 100,000 cases of measles.
• Children whose health is already compromised in some way are at a greater risk from measles.