A MEASLES outbreak has been officially declared after more cases have been found.
The Victorian disease has made a comeback in recent years as health chiefs have pleaded with parents to check their kids’ vaccinations.
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Two more cases have been recorded in south-east Wales. Public Health Wales (PHW) said there had been four confirmed cases, all of whom were children “in the Gwent area”.
Last week, when the health body announced that two measles cases had been confirmed, it said at least one had attended the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran.
On Tuesday, the agency said all four cases were linked to attendance at the healthcare setting over the Easter weekend, on March 21.
It therefore said an outbreak had been declared – though cases of the bug have been rising elsewhere in the UK for weeks.
The children were receiving care and contacts had been identified.
“Measles is a highly infectious disease and cases have been rising across the UK and Europe in recent months, so this development is not unexpected,” Beverley Griggs, consultant in health protection for PHW said.
Any contacts of the sick children who were not vaccinated were asked not to attend nursery, education or other high-risk settings.
“This is a routine public health action to help prevent further cases of measles in those who are most at risk,” Beverley said in a statement.
“If your child has a fever and a rash, it is really important that you telephone before arrival or immediately notify staff on arrival at your GP surgery or other healthcare setting so they can be promptly isolated and avoid any further transmission.”
Is your area affected?
The UKHSA publishes notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) in England and Wales every week.
London is the national hotspot for measles, according to figures from April 4.
The Big Smoke logged 60 suspected cases last week, twice as many as other badly affected regions.
From March 25 to March 31, doctors reported 269 suspected measles cases.
After the capital, the West Midlands came second as the area where you’re most likely to pick up measles, with 58 cases.
Next up came the North West with 46 cases.
The East Midlands crept in at third place, reporting 35 suspected cases, followed by the East of England, with 25 cases.
Yorkshire came in at fifth with 19 suspected infections, with the South East on its heels in sixth place with 16 cases.
Coming in at seventh place is the North East with eight cases. The South West followed closely behind in ninth with just two.
Doctors in Wales reported no suspected cases during the last week of March.
The UKHSA gathers the data from medics, who must report suspected cases of certain infectious diseases, such as TB, smallpox and whooping cough.
These cases may go up or down depending on how many are later confirmed by lab tests.
What is measles?
Measles can lead to lifelong disabilities and even death.
It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.
Symptoms of measles include fever, a cough, a cold, and a blotchy rash that is usually not itchy.
It can be prevented by the MMR vaccine, which is free to everyone on the NHS and is available from GP surgeries.
Vaccine rates and rising cases
The UK was declared measles-free in 2017 but lost that status in 2018 as a drop in vaccination rates allowed for a resurgence of the virus across Europe.
Only 84 per cent of kids have had both MMR vaccine doses by age five; this figure needs to be above 90 per cent to stop outbreaks.
There were 1,603 suspected cases of measles in England and Wales in 2023, a sharp increase from 735 cases in 2022 and 360 in 2021.
Since January, the NHS, UKHSA and local authorities have been urging millions of parents and carers to book their children in for missed MMR vaccinations.
Between January 1 and March 24, there were a total of 360,964 MMR vaccinations delivered, the NHS figures show.
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Dr Mary Ramsay of the UK Health Security Agency previously said: “The big increase in children getting their MMR vaccine following our recent campaign is fantastic to see.
“We would like to thank the public and parents who have come forward to check their and their children’s vaccination status and subsequently booked appointments where required.”
Expert answers MMR questions
TO help deal with parental concerns, Professor Helen Bedford, a specialist in child public health at University College London, tells you all you need to know about the MMR vaccine.
When is the vaccine given?
The MMR vaccine is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.
It’s typically given via a single shot into the muscle of the thigh or the upper arm.
The first dose is offered to children at the age of one (babies younger than this may have some protection from antibodies passed on from their mother, which start to wear off at about 12 months.)
The second dose is then offered to children aged three years and four months before they start school.
To check to see if you or your child have had the recommended two doses of MMR, you can look at their/your Personal Child Health Record, also known as the red book.
If you can’t find the red book, call your GP and ask them for your vaccine records.
You are never too old to catch up with your MMR vaccine.
If you see from your vaccination records that you did not receive two doses as a child, you can book a vaccination appointment.
Is the vaccine safe?
The MMR vaccine is safe and effective at preventing measles, mumps and rubella.
In the UK, we started using the jab in 1988, so we have decades of experience using it.
The jab is made from much-weakened live versions of the three viruses.
This triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that are protective in the face of future exposure.
It takes up to three weeks after having the vaccine to be fully protected.
Like any vaccine, the MMR jab can cause side-effects, which are usually mild and go away very quickly.
This includes rash, high temperature, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell for about two or three days.
There is also a very small chance children can have a severe allergic reaction.
But compared to the complications of measles, there is no contest that vaccination is by far the safest and most effective route to take.
Why was it linked with autism?
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues published a now-discredited paper in medical journal The Lancet.
The paper suggested that the MMR vaccine might be associated with autism and a form of bowel disease.
It led to a sharp decline in vaccination rates.
Even at the time, the research was considered poor.
The Lancet retracted the story in 2010 after Wakefield’s article was found “dishonest” by the General Medical Council.
He was later struck off and subsequently, in 2011, the British Medical Journal declared the story fraudulent.
Does it contain ingredients from pigs?
There are two types of MMR jabs: One with gelatin (animal/pig collagen), and one without it.
For some religious groups, the inclusion of pig products is not acceptable.
Those people should ask for the vaccine without gelatin.