DThe UK's Health Safety Agency is concerned about an increase in measles cases. In central England, an increasing number of infections have been detected around Birmingham in recent months. More than 200 confirmed cases and around 100 suspected cases have been reported in the West Midlands region since October, the health department said. Eighty percent of the cases occurred in Birmingham, most of them in children under the age of ten.
“Colleagues in the West Midlands have worked tirelessly to bring the outbreak under control,” said chief executive Jenny Harries. “But because vaccination rates are so low in some communities, there is now a real risk that the virus will spread to other communities and cities.” Measles can be prevented with two doses of the vaccine.
Extremely contagious
Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases of all. The virus is transmitted, for example, by coughing, sneezing or talking. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and a reddish-brown rash. The virus can cause serious complications such as inflammation of the brain and even after several years the very rare but fatal long-term effect of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).
SSPE is extremely rare in the United States and Western Europe due to widespread measles vaccination. But tragically, infections still occur in infants who have not yet been vaccinated – for example, when an unvaccinated person with measles was in the practice at the same time or hours earlier. The risk of developing SSPE is highest in people who contracted measles before the age of two.
Death cannot be stopped
So far, the disease cannot be stopped. Initial signs such as forgetfulness and irritability are followed by symptoms such as hallucinations and seizures. Mental deterioration, slurred speech, muscle stiffness and difficulty swallowing follow. Death usually occurs one to three years after becoming ill. Experts have long criticized the claim that it is just a harmless childhood disease.
In Germany, measles vaccination is mandatory from March 2020, which applies to day care centers and schools, as well as to some professional groups, such as hospital workers. The British Department of Health urged parents to get their children vaccinated. On average, only 85 percent of children entering school are vaccinated twice, Harries said, according to the BBC. To avoid large outbreaks, the recommended rate is 95 percent.