Is anyone else concerned about the Measles outbreak in the Swansea area?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

We live in the Vale of Glamorgan, and had letters fom Public Health sent home from school before the Easter break saying that there had been a few cases in our immediate area. We were in the WMC over the weekend and there are notices there asking people to be vigilant for the signs and symptoms

The numbers affected have now topped 500 in the Swansea area.

Our ds's have both had 2 doses of the MMR, but as the start of the summer term draws nearer (they go back on Monday), I'm feeling more concerned.

There's nothing realistically that I can do to protect them any more is there?

I would be worried too if I lived locally. Has there been any advice given? How about your GP?

No advice at all, just informed about the need for vigilance.

I love in the next county to you and have heard a lot about this. I have friends in Swansea but understood that vaccinated children were protected - is this not the case?

My mother lives on the outskirts of Swansea and has 5 children in her nursery off with measles. 2 are in hospital. 3 of the 5 had already had the MMR. It is scary. I don't know what I'd do if I lived nearby, probably panic and keep my DC inside! I know that doesn't help you I'm sorry.

I am scared that despite all the injections our children will never be immune to these stronger strains of virus.

Vaccinations do not offer 100% protection. I'm at a loss of any other ways to protect them (and me as well I suppose).

Sorry for those of you in this situation.

I'm just wondering how many of the children affected have had the MMR...if it's not offering protection then that puts a kind of question mark over its usefulness I suppose.

I hope your children stay safe, IWish. just wanted to say that my son had (probable) measles at 10 months and though he was poorly, he didn't sustain any permanent effects. (I say probable because a doctor diagnosed it, and swabs were sent but only one came back positive and they said it could have been because he was breastfed - so it was inconclusive)

:( hope you all stay measles free Iwish.
The measles vaccination is only 90% effective after one dose of MMR, rising to about 99% after the second.
The vaccinations tend to work as well by a herd effect, if enough children have been vaccinated then an epidemic can't occur. Unfortunately in Wales the level of MMR uptake is very low and therefore the herd effect isn't working.

Is that the case - that it's caused by low uptake? Where did you read this?

The BBC says uptake in the area is around 89%.

The BBC says uptake in the area is around 89%.

When they say 89% that only means the current cohort due to be vaccinated this year. It was as low as 80% in children following the MMR debacle

this is a link to the uptake in Wales of MMR over time, which shows how low the uptake has been in the past. It isn't just young children who are at risk of catching measles, but all the unvaccinated teenagers.

these are the figures for Swansea, as you will see they were at less than 75% uptake for 2 doses of MMR in 2007.

Those links are interesting. The stats are showing that our area has a very good uptake of both MMR jabs.

I'm not much of a scientisist. Would that imply that we're safer round here, that the epidemic shouldn't be able to take hold as it has in areas whose population hasn't been vaccinated as widely?

Iwish, I believe that is the case, but my original science field (neuroscience) isn't directly related to vaccinations, my only real link directly in this field is I have written the databases for lots of disease monitoring and reporting.
I know they target a 95% uptake level.

I didn't realise that, was told and mistakenly believed that those who had been vaccinated were very unlikely to catch it. Oh bugger! Swansea isn't very far away at all and I bet lots of children in the dc's class will have been out and about there over the school holidays.

I'm in Swansea and very, very worried. There haven't been any cases in dd1's school as far as we know, but there have been several in our 2 local secondaries and the primary school which is actually the closest to our house. I think that something like 60 of the 400 children there were unvaccinated . I phoned my HV before Christmas worried about my then 4mo dd2 given that she was far too young for the vaccine and was told that all I could do was avoid playgroups and ask everyone I met whether their children had had the MMR. The advice locally has changed this week though - she is now 7mo and had the MMR yesterday :), I can't tell you how relieved I am! She will still need the usual 2 doses and the reason they don't normally give it early is because in young babies the response isn't always sufficient to ensure immunity but I feel that I've done all I can now, and I've given her the chance at least. They are also calling over 2s early for their booster, my friend has her nearly 3yo booked in for next week. DD1 had a rash and temperature after her first MMR and I'm hoping that that means that it worked for her, and that dd2 will have as good a response, because what else can I do?

I hate that it has come to this, that because other people haven't vaccinated their children mine are at risk - they were hoping to have eradicated measles by 2015 in Europe but that isn't looking likely now . Roald Dahl wrote a book about his daughter's death from measles in the 60s (there's a summary on the BBC news site) and it's so tragic that we are here again. :( The news is saying it's just a matter of time before a child dies or suffers permanent damage. :(

Just sitting down ready to watch the news for today's update.

More than 540 cases now

Extra vaccination clinics planned in Swansea, Neath /Port Talbot and Bridgend this weekend.

I'm at a loss. There's nothing I can do except keep my fingers crossed is there?

47 new cases in the last 2 days .

I turned down a trip with a friend to Margam Park today. She thought I was over reacting, but I just felt I couldn't take what I felt was an unnecessary risk.

I've been reading about this. The thing to bear in mind is that the government's official report of uptake only includes children who have the MMR. Most people who don't have the MMR choose singles instead but this won't be reflected in the figures. So in reality the uptake is probably higher than 90%.

This begs the question of whether outbreaks are happening in spite of the vaccination programmes. In the US, there are outbreaks of mealses too even though vaccination there is mandatory.

lottiethe outbreaks in america happened because unvaccinated children travelled to europe and brought it back. Even though it is manditory you can can get dispensation for religeious beliefs etc and the outbreaks do tend to be in pockets of unvaccinated children. The estimate for 2000-2002 was only 5 % received singles vaccines and i suspect that figure is much lower now that people realise that the whole mmr scare was a hoax.

The government don't record figures for singles because usually you have to go to a private clinic to get them. The MMR 'scare' wasn't a hoax - it was misrepresented. AW said more research was needed for the 7% of children who are more at risk because of their genetic profile. The media somehow interpreted that as him saying MMR causes autism generally - that was never the point made.

I'm really worried. My DS is just 2. I don't live in Swansea but many of my colleagues do and they all have young children. I'm thinking of asking for DS to have his booster early. I'm probably being paranoid but it is such a worry

It was a hoax, AW had a patent for single measles vaccine. The was also the alteration of the measles found in the gut readings and the alterations of the childrens records in the research to make it look like they regressed within days of mmr. In the measles patents he said mmr was unsafe and also at the news conference he recommended single vaccines.

I am in Swansea and I am not worrying. My children have had both MMR doses and I have learnt from my anxiety about swine flu in the past that there is no point worrying. It is a sunny, warm day so I will be taking my boys out for a run on the beach.