Cases of measles in school

It’s frustrating that this is all so preventable! I’m an adult about to get the MMR for myself because I’m not 100% sure I was vaccinated against measles as a child. (A single measles vaccine was routinely offered in the U.K. to my age group - pre MMR. But I lived overseas as a child and I’m not sure if I had it.) Having spoken to my GP, his advice was get MMR. Honestly, measles can be bloody dangerous. I’m not sure why anyone would trifle with it.

Which might explain why only 42% of front line NHS workers had a flu vaccination in 2023 and the covid booster rate in London was 79% .
A quick Google, so hopefully figures are correct.

Yes, I read that as well. How can this mistrust be overcome?

The irony is that our hospitals wouldn't be able to function without the large number of African and Caribbean medical staff that the NHS employs.

Agree. They fall into the category of can’t be vaccinated and need to rely on herd
immunity.

Babies can't be vaccinated because they have some protection from maternal antibodies which stop the vaccine working properly. There's an argument/study which suggests babies could be vaccinated from 7 months when the maternal protection wanes. But, I would presume that a baby would benefit from maternal antibodies for as long as it was being breastfed.

Measles is genetically stable and shouldn't mutate in ways that make the vaccine ineffective.

My child caught measles from a vaccinated child after said child came back from abroad. Another vaccinated child also caught it from the vaccinated child.
I have no idea if the vaccinated kids had a easier time than mine but all were off school for about a week.
My kids were unwell at the same level they were with chicken pox tbh. It was unpleasant but I wasn’t worried as such. Public Health England told me complications were rare when I spoke with them, which surprised me given we are told they are common.
Wgst I will say is that it’s highly contagious so hard to avoid- all of mine had it within a few days of each other. I had bloods to check I was immune- I am but I wasn’t vaccinated and nor do I recall having measles. Odd.
Hope that helps and I hope your dc stay welll

And babies, too young to be fully vaccinated?

And babies too young to be fully vaccinated.

But ultimately, if nearly eradicated diseases start to come back because of too many people not vaccinating, then we’re all at risk because then those diseases have the chance to mutate again. It’s fucking ridiculous.

The lowest vaccination rates are amongst African and Caribbean ethnicities. According to the BBC article, it's because of mistrust of institutions, lack of representation in clinical trials, some religious suspicion, and racism.

If there’s a 5% risk of contracting the disease if exposed even if vaccinated, then about 5% of the vaccinated children who are exposed at the school will catch it. And most of the unvaccinated ones, who will also expose more kids before they show symptoms.

That would worry me a lot. I’d probably keep mine at home, especially the younger one who catches everything.

Modern sanitation and medicine are the best things we have! I’m so grateful we don’t need to lose half our children before they turn 5 anymore. It’s just mind blowing that people choose not to take advantage of this safety.

shouldn’t be able to access the school system without appropriate vaccines but it’ll never happen because rights.

They are being neglected and raised by idiots so it’s not a completely ridiculous suggestion

As long as your child is vaccinated don’t worry about it.

the ones who need to worry are those who can’t be vaccinated e.g immunosuppressed and who have to rely on herd immunity

the ones who should worry but won’t because they are idiots are those who’ve chosen not to vaccinate because they’ve done their Dr Google ‘research’ backed up by videos they’ve watched on YouTube

Suggesting that children should be taken into care if they are not vaccinated is an extreme response.

A couple of us have asked this and no-one has replied yet.

I understand the objection if the vaccine contained pork or other animal products for example, but I think pork and bovine free vaccinations have now been developed.

Interestingly, the British Fatwa Council has stated that vaccines containing porcine gelatine are permissible for use due to the necessity of protecting against illness, and cccording to Jewish laws, there is no issue with pork or animal-derived ingredients in non-oral products (such as injections or nasal sprays.

How about developing a vaccination against stupidity?

My personal view is that there are some vaccines that should be compulsory for children unless medically contra indicated.

Its worth pointing out that children can be and are taken into care if they are not provided with appropriate healthcare

There hasn't been a notable outbreak in Cornwall, the worst figures for last year in the SW are in Bristol. (47). There were very few cases in the North East of the country too. I could hazard a guess as to why the extremities of the country have fewer cases, but I'll let others draw their own conclusions.

What would be a cultural reason for not being vaccinated. ?

@Thatcannotberight That rate is significantly above the rates where there are measles outbreaks here. Has there been one in Cornwall? It might vary by state in Aus. Victoria says by law they must have an immunization history cert to enrol in primary school. The Australians want 95% and they aren’t far off it. Our target is also 95% but we know some areas are way below that so we need some tough love.

That still wouldnt have helped me

Looking at vaccination rates in Australia ( around 93%) that's comparable to Cornwall. Apparently, unvaccinated children can go to school in Australia too.

@Carbooboo So how does Australia manage then? British laws are what matters (if they made them) and a government has a duty to keep its people safe. So that comes first over personal preference.

I had measles in the 1950s and lost the hearing in one ear . It should be a prerequisite for children to be vaccinated before they can enter nursery or school .

risk to pregnant women not just children,
i have a cousin who had encephalitis from measles as a baby, with long term cognitive effects.