A measles outbreak is happening in the U.K., forcing the U.K. Health Security Agency will declare a national health incident. This was confirmed by UKHSA Chief Executive Prof. Dame Jenny Harries on Friday, Jan. 19.
21-month-old Phoebe Jenkins receives the combined Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination at an MMR drop-in clinic at Neath Port Talbot Hospital near Swansea in south Wales on April 20, 2013.
She visited Birmingham on Friday to see the extensive health and clinical protection, as well as the ongoing community and epidemiological work personally.
In July 2023, UKHSA published a risk assessment warning the possibility of such outbreaks. This January, Harries expressed her concern regarding the rising measles cases.
UKHSA Declares National Health Incident As Measles Cases Surge!
UKHSA announced that as of Jan. 18, 216 measles cases have been confirmed, as well as 103 probable infections in the West Midlands. These cases and potential infections have been recorded since October 2023.
The majority of infected individuals are children under 10 years old. The health protection agency said that around 80% of patients were seen in Birmingham. About 10% of the remaining infected people have been seen in Coventry.
Because of these rising measles cases, the UKHSA issued a national health incident. To protect children from the measles outbreak, Harries is urging parents in the United Kingdom to vaccinate their beloved kids.
"This is a call right across the country for all parents to check the vaccination rates of their children," said the UKHSA chief executive via Fox News' latest report.
If you're among the parents in the U.K., you need to vaccinate your children if you see these measles symptoms:
- Feeling generally unwell
- High fever
- Sneezing
- Sore, red, and watery eyes
- Coughing
Symptoms could worsen, leading to small white spots inside the mouth. After initial symptoms appeared, health experts said that a blotchy red or brown rash on the skin would likely develop.
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Why UKHSA Urge Vaccinations
In this handout from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the skin of a patient after three days of measles infection is seen at a New York hospital in 1958. Measles outbreaks have been reported throughout the U.S.
UKHSA officials said that MMR vaccines are effective since they were able to decrease the rates of uptake of mumps, measles, and rubella over the last decade.
"Over 99% of those who have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine will be protected against measles and rubella," said UKHSA via its official press release.
"The vaccine also provides protection against mumps, which can be very painful with complications including inflammation of the ovaries and testicles, and in rare cases, the pancreas," added the health agency.
UKHSA further stated that although MMR vaccines are less effective against mumps, cases are likely to be less severe in patients who are vaccinated.
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