Non-urgent advice: Important Notice
There have been serious outbreaks in England and Wales and the number of children catching measles is rising. Measles can be a very serious disease, leading to ear and chest infections, fits, diarrhoea, and damage to the brain.
Measles is very deadly and could cause death.
Your child is at risk of measles if he or she has not had the MMR vaccination.
- 2 doses of the MMR vaccine are needed to ge the best protection
- If your child is due to have had the 2 doses of MMR, but has not received them, no matter what age they are, you should book an appointment with 1 of our nurses as soon as possible
- If you can’t remember if your child has had 1 or 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, check his or her personal health check record (the Red Book). If this does not help contact one of our receptionists who can advise you more and book an appointment with 1 of our nurses
- If you don’t know how many doses your child has had, it’s better to have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine now rather them being unprotected
- In response to the local outbreak, then the 2 doses can be given a month apart from the age of 18 months
For more infiormation about Measles and the MMR Vaccine, please visit,
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Measles/
Answers to common questions about measles and the MMR vaccine
Why are we seeing these outbreaks of the measles?
Measles is highly infectious disease, spreading quickly from person to person, especially in schools. A child with measles can infect almost all unprotected children they have contact with.
Since the end of 2017 there has been an increase in the measles globally which has affected the UK.
This has resulted in some spread into wider communities, in particular under-vaccinated groups.
When are the MMR vaccinations usually given?
The best times are between 12 and 13 months of age and again at 3 and 4 months, with one does per visit. But if your child wasn’t vaccinated then they can be vaccinated at any age with 2 doses one month apart.
Will there be any side effects to the vaccination?
Your child may get the symptoms of Measles, Mumps and Rubella for up to 6 weeks after the vaccination, but in a very much milder form.
This proves that the vaccine is working and that your child is building up resistance to future contact with the viruses that cause these diseases. Not al children show these symptoms but that does not mean that the vaccine is is not working.
Should parents in outbreak areas get vaccinated against measles?
As with many diseases, once you have had Measles, you don’t catch it again because you have built up a resistance to it. So if you’ve had measles, and had the 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, you do not need to get vaccinated now.