24 January 2024 , 11:45
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People are being warned of potential serious complications and even death from measles following a spike in cases.
The World Health Organisation has issued a fresh warning over measles after an almost 45-fold rise in cases across Europe. Experts from the organisation said Europe is seeing an “alarming rise” in the spread of the disease, which has “accelerated in recent months”.
It comes with the UK having launched its own campaigns to encourage parents to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for their children.
Measles can lead to serious complications, lifelong disability and death. It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.
One in five people who catch measles can end up in hospital and one in 15 kids develop serious complications such as meningitis and blindness. With no specific treatment for the virus, health officials are recommending vaccinations as the best way to protect people against it.
'Chickenpox vaccine plan is overwhelmingly supported by parents for their kids'
Professor Dame Jenny Harries said that “concerted action” is needed to tackle the virus, as she visited a measles blackspot in the West Midlands. She suggested the majority of people are not against their child receiving the MMR jab, but that they need more information to feel confident about their decision.
She added: “What we are seeing at the moment with measles is that people have forgotten what a serious illness it is… We have had very high vaccination rates, especially for young families, but they are low at the moment.”
How measles can affect the body
First symptoms of measles develop around 10 days after you’re infected
- cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, and a cough
- sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light
- watery eyes
- swollen eyes
- a high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40°C
- small greyish-white spots in the mouth
- aches and pains
- loss of appetite
- tiredness, irritability and a general lack of energy
Measles rash appears around two to four days after the initial symptoms
- It is made up of small red-brown, flat or slightly raised spots that may join together into larger blotchy patches
- It usually first appears on the head or neck, before spreading outwards to the rest of the body
- It is slightly itchy for some people
After 10 days
Measles can be unpleasant, but will usually pass in about seven to 10 days without causing any further problems. If someone has a more severe case of measles then they may suffer from affects like diarrhoea, vomiting or eye and ear infections.
While less common, infected people could develop meningitis, pneumonia or hepititis. Even more rarely is encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, deafness, blindness and have a long term impact, while some people can die from the virus.
Long term complications
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a very rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system that results from a measles virus infection acquired earlier in life. It generally develops seven to 10 years after a person has measles, even though the person seems to have fully recovered from the illness.
The condition causes progressive destruction of the brain resulting in dementia, loss of motor function, fits (epilepsy), and eventually death. There is unfortunately no cure for SSPE.
Measles warning as UK cases rise - watchdog sends urgent message for parents
Vaccination rates across the country have been dropping, but there are particular concerns about some regions, including parts of London and the West Midlands. Figures released by the UKHSA last Friday showed there have been 216 confirmed measles cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands since October 1 last year.
Four-fifths (80%) have been found in Birmingham while 10% were identified in Coventry, with the majority being in children aged under 10. The UKHSA has declared a national incident, which it said is an internal mechanism signalling the growing public health risk and enabling it to focus work in specific areas.