To think there shouldn't be measles outbreaks?

[fatandhappy47]

Surely we shouldn't be having an issue with measles?
Had an email from school (secondary) 'reminding' us to keep kids off with measles, which got me thinking

All my kids band my friends kids of the same age had their MMR (however my youngest did get measles before this)

So why is it an issue in secondary schools of all places? Are people just not vaccinating their kids?

“Rightly or wrongly, things like the three examples I gave, caused a loss of trust, which is what this threat is about.”
This is the problem - people wrongly losing trust. I don’t think any reasonable person who isn’t getting their news/opinion from whackos on social media would disagree with the actions of the Canadian government around the trucker issue. I don’t know how you stop people being sucked into stupid social media narratives.

Its a bit like how Republican politicians now point to polls showing that a large portion of US voters no longer trust the election process and think the 2020 election was fraudulent. Well, yes, a large portion of your voters wrongly believe that because you’ve been lying to them for years now.

Love the way everyone is saying it’s about lack of uptake, have a little look at the areas it’s high in.

Birmingham and London, where the current and recent outbreaks have been, have the lowest MMR uptake rates in the country.

So yes, it seems to be pretty obviously an issue with uptake.

Birmingham and London 😂😂

You do realise that @SpecialCharacters is correct right?

Yes, what do you find funny about that?

Because:

a) there were not enough vaccines in the country - so problems with supply and because they have to be imported refridgerated so you can't just stick them in the post

CHildren who did receive singles should have an MMR or a blood test to see if they are immune.

b) MMR is more effective

c) it leaves children exposed to the diseases they have not had the jabs for

I just want to repeat that there are no religious issues with vaccines and other medicines

all 'major' religions explicitly exclude medicines, incl vaccines, from 'banned', 'unclean' items.

(many medicines contain 'unclean' ingredients or are produced in ways that would otherwise go against religious rules)

Possibly stupid question here.
I've been reading about how adults can get MMR as well, and how universities have offered them to students etc.
This has perhaps meant my interpretation is wrong. Can ANY adult get them or is there a cut off age? I was born in the 70s so no MMR vaccines but I do remember being taken for vaccines before I started school, and also going for my rubella jab when I was 11 (I've no idea why I went at a younger age than my school friends, it was just offered at that age so I had it).

Would I still be able to get an MMR now or is it just for younger adults that missed out? I did have both measles and mumps as a child so would there even be any point?

If you definitely had measles and mumps as a child, and had a rubella jab (and are past your childbearing years) then it would be a waste of everyone's time to give you an MMR. The immunity from a prior infection isn't 100% but then neither is the vaccination: we should concentrate on people who are starting from zero.

One of my antenatal 'friends' didn't believe in vaccinating. Some twaddle about formaldehyde being in them amongst other things. Made me so cross at the time and made me look at her differently. I worry now about her child with this outbreak. My DC are fully vaccinated. I couldn't live with myself if they caught something because I thought I knew better than medical science

Even if that were true, then it's a powerful argument for getting immunised.

Because your DC is much more likely to run a high temperature, and for much longer, with the wild virus, rather than the weakened vaccine strain.

Also there has never been a case of SSPE associated with the vaccine strain (SSPE is the nastiest kind of brain damage caused by measles)

Whereas as those who didn't give single jabs delayed protection for much longer (possibly permanently, if the then DC has never checked in adulthood).

The lapsing of the single measles vaccine's licence in 1997 (which was purely administrative - it's a perfectly good jab) was an enormous own goal - if your aim was to have high vaccine coverage against measles.

The Wakefield mess was at it's height then, and with overnight unavailability of measles jab on NHS, many had no protection at all. One more (entirely routine) extension would have kept coverage higher during the period until Wakefield entirely debunked (remember that the measles vaccine stats for 1984-1997 are, unless stated otherwise, total of both kinds of measles-containing vaccine ie both single and MMR)

In Birmingham it's the areas with a high muslim population where the outbreak is mostly occurring.
The coverage for MMR is 82.5% across the whole city and scarily lower in pockets. I doubt they have been heavily into Wakefield's nonsense; a lot of misinformation and ignorance about the vaccine and the disease is accepted as the reason, and mass vaccinations are happening.

Parents seem to be realising how serious it is now that they're seeing how many children - and adults - are ill in hospital.

Main focus of the current catch up programme (from letter of Nov 23) is those aged under 25.

But there was a previous eligibility criteria which made MMR available to all those born after 1970 who were unimmunised or did not know their immunisation status. I think that's still in place, but as it's outside the current main focus, you won't get called for it. (Those born before 1970 were assumed to have had the disease, as it was still circulating widely in the first few years after vaccine introduction in 1968)

There is no vaccine for croup. It’s a viral infection. Do you mean whooping cough? There is a vaccine for that.

My apologies! The rest of the thread loaded after I posted. I realise this has already been said. Only 2 pages were showing until I posted 🤐

The lapsing of the single measles vaccine's licence in 1997 (which was purely administrative - it's a perfectly good jab) was an enormous own goal - if your aim was to have high vaccine coverage against measles.

it's the company's responsibility to keep licenses active. if they chose to stop marketing a medicine no one can force them to. they cannot be forced to produce a vaccine if they think it's not commercially viable (due to perhaps a changed vaccine schedule).

It's such a worry I'm not in the affected areas but honestly it's so contagious I'm worrying about my son catching it he's unvaccinated currently due to his transplant but he is in school and he can't have the MMR for another year 😞

The jab was still in production (continued to be available in other countries for many years).

Both the national authority and the company are parties to a licencing agreement. There was nothing at the time that even hinted it was the company's decision, but IIRC several statements from the government explaining why they were not going to enter a new licensing agreement (made in response to calls from the public for re-licensing until situation with MMR was clearer).

It was not a good move on the government's part, assuming of course the aim was to maintain vaccination during a scare. It failed on that, and we still have some legacy of that today as it's a contributing factor to the numbers unvaccinated today.

Even if that were true, then it's a powerful argument for getting immunised.

Because your DC is much more likely to run a high temperature, and for much longer, with the wild virus, rather than the weakened vaccine strain.

Exactly!

@notmorezoom, Do you really think I virus or disease gives a toss about your ignorant opinion? Is your ego on this really more important than a risk to the health of your child? If so, why?

Funnily enough I don't think that a virus is a sentient being with opinions!

Mills raised temperature is the norm with vaccines but not high fevers and convulsions. But then some rush their children to hospital for a sneeze.

@notmorezoom, so why do you think your opinion is more important than reality? Is it narcissism?