Measles is spreading
across Europe wherever immunisation coverage has dropped, the World Health
Organization is warning.
The largest outbreaks are
being seen in Italy and Romania.
In the first month of this
year, Italy reported more than 200 cases.
Romania has reported more
than 3,400 cases and 17 deaths since January 2016.
Measles is highly
contagious.
Travel patterns mean no
person or country is beyond its reach, says the WHO.
For good protection, it's
recommended that at least 95% of the population is vaccinated against the
disease.
But many countries are
struggling to achieve that.
Most of the measles cases
have been found in countries where immunisation has dipped below this threshold
and the infection is endemic - France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania,
Switzerland and Ukraine.
Preliminary information
for February suggests that the number of new infections is rising sharply, says
the WHO.
WHO regional director for
Europe Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab said: "I urge all endemic countries to take
urgent measures to stop transmission of measles within their borders, and all
countries that have already achieved this to keep up their guard and sustain
high immunisation coverage."
The European Centre for
Disease Prevention and Control says that between 1 February 2016 and 31 January
2017 the UK reported 575 cases of measles.
The MMR (measles, mumps
and rubella) vaccine is available on the NHS for babies and pre-school
children.
Lagging immunisation
Robb Butler, of the WHO
Regional Office for Europe, says there are a number of reasons why vaccination
coverage has waned in some regions.
"In some countries,
like the Ukraine, there have been supply and procurement issues."
Then there's vaccine
hesitancy. Some people are fearful of vaccination, while others are complacent
or find it an inconvenience, he says.
In France, for example,
people need to make an appointment with their doctor to get a prescription, go
to the pharmacy to collect the vaccine and then rebook with their doctor to
have the jab administered.
"We need to get to
the point where we appreciate that people have busy lives and competing
priorities."
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of
Immunisation at Public Health England, said:
"England's uptake of
MMR vaccine by five years of age has reached the WHO's target of 95%.
"In the last year,
the measles cases confirmed in England have mainly been in older adolescents
and young adults with many linked to music festivals and other large public
events. Individuals of any age who have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine,
or those who are unsure, should speak to their GP - it's never too late to have
the vaccine and measles can still be serious in adults. We are continuing to
invest in programmes which encourage uptake of the vaccine to ultimately
consign measles to the history books."
Measles
Unvaccinated young
children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death
Measles is spread by
direct contact and through the air by coughs and sneezes
The virus remains active
and contagious on infected surfaces for up to two hours
The first signs of
infection are usually a high fever and cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose
You may notice small white
spots on the inside of the cheeks as well
After several days, a rash
develops, usually on the face and neck first and then spreading to the body and
limbs
An infected person can
pass on the virus to others from four days prior to developing the skin rash to
four days after the rash erupts
There is no treatment, but
two doses of vaccine can prevent infection in the first place
Source: bbc.com
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