UK lost measles free status

[Stressedout10]

So due to all the anti Vaxers the WHO have stripped us of our measles free status.
What next ?

Rubella is a very mild disease saucery

@continuallychargingmyphone

Not for pregnant women it isn’t.

Don’t talk twaddle, continually. It doesn’t help when people are trying to have a proper discussion about this.

An adult relative has recently been diagnosed with mumps - the first case the GP had seen in a decade. Mumps was thought to have been eradicated so, during the 1990s, children were given a half dose of the vaccine as this was thought to be sufficient. Unfortunately, mumps is back and adults are contracting it (mumps is far more serious for adults apparently).

angela riding a bike or swimming are not comparable, they have advantages. I can remember countless accidents and injuries as a child and teen, and numerous memories of things that at the time seemed fun/ a good idea but must have caused near heart failure to whom ever was responsible for me. They were definitely worth the risk. Being seriously ill had no advantages and certainly wasn’t fun.

@Vasya
What did I say about exaggerating not being helpful? 8 million children did not die every year before the measles vaccine.

“Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every 2–3 years and measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.”
WHO.int on measles

The 2.6million per year are mostly adults as it is more deadly to adults than children.

Yes Jenni which is exactly why the way we go about it is crazy.

We vaccinate babies who don’t need it and the immunity often wears off when the baby girls are of child bearing age.

That isn’t ‘twaddle’ saucery

It’s more sensible to check teenage girls for immunity to rubella than to give babies a vaccination they don’t need, it really isn’t a hard concept.

Unfortunately, mumps is back and adults are contracting it (mumps is far more serious for adults apparently).

I caught mumps as an adult. I believe I was vaccinated. It’s not dangerous unless there are complications, and then it’s approximately a 1/10,000 fatality rate. That’s not comforting to those who are affected, but the chances of dying are very low.

@Saucery yup, sadly people will have to start dying again to be proved right.

@TrainspottingWelsh
They are comparable in the sense that parents have weighed risks vs perceived benefits and decided that allowing you to take a risk is worth it.
I agree, i don’t see any benefit to not being vaccinated, but anti-vaxxers do. Just like I don’t see any benefit to putting my kid in top of a 1/2 ton horse and running at jumps on it....but equestrian homes do.

‘Rubella is a very mild disease’ is pure rubbish, continually. I’m not going to go into personal reasons why I know that to be so as quite frankly, I don’t believe you’re worth explaining it to considering your attitude on this thread with ridiculous statements like that.

The vaccination schedule for it is neither here nor there.

I really hope that we will introduce laws linking vaccination and state education. Anything that will encourage parents to vaccinate has to be welcomed. Parents who don’t vaccinate their children may believe that they are somehow protecting their DC but they are putting their children at risk. I could not support forcing them to vaccinate their DC but I do think that if they are moved to vaccinate by other means it’s fine by me.

It makes sense from a disease prevention point of view to keep unvaccinated children out of schools and childcare where illness spreads like wildfire.

@continuallychargingmyphone you said it was mild, you didn’t say in what context. Surely children still need it. It stops them being ill when they don’t need to be.

I’m sorry if you or someone you know have had complications from rubella saucery but it’s really rare.

Jenn it’s so mild in most cases people don’t realise they’ve had it. It’s a slight fever and rash.

It is of course dangerous to unborn children but that’s why it makes sense to immunise women of childbearing age

I’m not an anti vaxxer but vaccines carry a tiny risk so it makes sense to only vaccinate children for diseases that really are potentially dangerous. Rubella doesn’t fall into that category.

With rubella, children are the carriers who spread it around. The more the cases of the disease the higher the chance of women of childbearing age being exposed to the disease.

My sources for the 8 million deaths statistic:

Ludlow M, McQuaid S, Milner D, de Swart RL, Duprex WP (January 2015). "Pathological consequences of systemic measles virus infection". The Journal of Pathology. 235 (2): 253–65. doi:10.1002/path.4457. PMID 25294240.

Goodson, James L.; Masresha, Balcha G.; Wannemuehler, Kathleen; Uzicanin, Amra; Cochi, Stephen (July 2011). "Changing Epidemiology of Measles in Africa". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 204 (suppl_1): S205–S214. doi:10.1093/infdis/jir129. PMID 21666163

‘It is of course dangerous to unborn children but that’s why it makes sense to immunise women of childbearing age ‘

Surely this has risks. Unplanned pregnancy before immunisation? Refusal due to needle phobia? Simply falling through the cracks if you are in care/have negligent parents?

Far better to immunise early then check immunity later on?

My son is 3 now and has had all of his nhs vaccinations. I believe he wouldn't be due the second measles vaccination until he's almost 5. Should I pay for it privately just now? Any opinions?

And obviously from the governments point of view it therefore makes sense to vaccinate all. From my point of view as a parent, my children will and have been vaccinated for diseases harmful to them.

yera if your worried contact your surgery, in most areas they will do the pre school immunisation early especially if it’s an area with an outbreak

My son is 3 now and has had all of his nhs vaccinations. I believe he wouldn't be due the second measles vaccination until he's almost 5. Should I pay for it privately just now? Any opinions?

I would follow the advice of your GP - they should know if you are in an area where there is an outbreak.

I'll give them a call. I haven't heard of many increased cases where I live but I'm sure the surgery will know better.

Mumps isn't great for men as it can impact their fertility, although I think infertility is rare

@vasya
Interesting. Here is link to the WHO page I quoted. Which said it was 2.6m total deaths per year (children and adults)

www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles