Doctor issues urgent plea to parents for kids to get jab for Victorian disease

08 January 2024 , 09:59

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Parents are urged to get their children's MMR jabs as measles cases are on the rise (Image: PA)

A doctor has issued an urgent plea for parents to make sure their kids get the measles vaccine amid a sudden rise in cases.

Dr Jonathan Adamson, a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Birmingham Children's Hospital, revealed he's treating 'multiple' children with measles 'every day'. Measles is a super contagious illness that spreads like wildfire, especially in schools, and can cause major problems for some folks.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency revealed that just last year, from January to July 2023, there were more measles cases in England than any other in three years - 141 confirmed cases. The MMR vaccine, taken through two jabs either in the leg or the upper arm, shields against measles, mumps, and rubella.

According to Dr Adamson, all these recent measles cases were 'exclusively in unvaccinated children.' Writing on X, formerly Twitter: "I had genuinely never seen a child with measles in my paediatrics career until 2 weeks ago and I've seen multiple every day since."

He added a plea: "Not a single one in a child who had their MMR (even just first dose if not old enough for their preschool booster yet). Vaccinate your children!" Between January 1 to October 31 last year, there were 167 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England, government data says, with a further 19 cases in October alone.

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Meanwhile, an outbreak of the illness has been officially declared in some parts of the country while concerns soar about vaccine uptake. Last September, the NHS said that over 9,000 kids in the West Midlands didn't get their jabs to stop them from catching measles, mumps, and rubella, Birmingham Live reports.

Ashis Banerjee from NHS England warns: "Measles can start with cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and a cough with a rash not showing until they have been infectious for up to four days. In a classroom, it may not be easy to spot that they have the measles infection at first and before they have a rash they could have infected nine out of ten of their unvaccinated classmates."

Measles starts about a week or so after you catch the virus, with symptoms including sniffles, a sneeze and a cough, a fever and sore, watery eyes. Patients can also develop a red or brown rash which spreads, as well as white spots inside the mouth.

Anyone who suspects they or a loved one has measles is urged not to visit A&E but ring their doctor or NHS 111 for further advice.

Symptoms of measle:

• a high temperature
• a runny or blocked nose
• sneezing
• a cough
• red, sore, watery eyes
• spots in the mouth
• rash

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Susie Beever