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?

[4nomore]

I'm 45 and I was vaccinated against measles which was standard then

[Llareggub]

Duchesse, I am not far from the university. I've heard nothing locally about an outbreak amongst the students.

[duchesse]

Maybe they respond in large enough numbers to the calls to be immunised against mumps? Since the only way to immunise against mumps is the MMR, they should all be covered on the whole.

[LoveSewingBee]

Based on past figures, the prediction would be that

1 in every 20 cases develops pneumonia
1 in every 1000 cases develops encephalitis, with significant risk of permanent brain damage
1 in every 1000 cases dies

I know from when I had measles, one of my friends developed encephalitis and got brain damaged. It just wasn't much talked about then. Got kind of hidden away, I never saw her again, very sad.

[LoveSewingBee]

Yes, chickenpox can also cause encephalitis. However, the death rate of chickenpox is much lower compared with measles.

[mummytime]

I'm 47 and was vaccinated against measles, of the only 3 people I knew who caught Measles, one nearly died (the other two had it mildly and had been vaccinated).

[4nomore]

Yes I also know only three people who've had it one was my sister who'd been vaccinated and caught it mildly, my nephew (not vaccinated) who was only about a year old at the time who was ill but maybe not quite so much as you might fear and my them partner (not vaccinated) who was 18 and very healthy usually, in all the time we were together I never saw him anywhere near as ill - he could hardly stand for a couple of days and he had pleurisy and urgh... really not nice

[duchesse]

Practically everyone I know over a certain age has had measles because we moved to France in 1973 where they were not yet vaccinating. My oldest sister and I were vaccinated before we left Britain, but my three younger siblings had measles, as did most of our school friends. No deafness, no blindness, no deaths.

Vitamin A deficiency is supposed to make the effects a lot worse, therefore often way worse in malnourished children.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

LoveSewingBee. Thanks for your posts, all very interesting and useful.

Lareggub schools here (Vale of Glamorgan) go back tomorrow. We've not headed West at all during the holidays and have avoided swimming pools, soft play etc. I feel now that they're back to school I am unable to protect them as much. They both have had 2 doses of MMR and apart from being very aware of the symptoms and timelines I really don't think I can do any more.

[LoveSewingBee]

Iwish, unfortunately, I think you are right. However, you have done a lot by ensuring they have had both their vaccinations.

The chance that your children will get measles is really very small. Furthermore, if they do get it, then the biggest risk is pneumonia (1 in 20). Although pneumonia is still a killer, timely intervention and hospital based support makes a HUGE difference to outcomes.

In the extremely unlikely event, that one of your children was to contract measles and was to go on to develop pneumonia, then the key is not to hesitate for one moment and seek medical help (hospital not GP) straight away.

However, in all likelihood your kids will be okay but it is going to be the several thousands of teenagers who have still not been vaccinated who are at increasing risk.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

LoveSewingBee. Your posts are all very sensible and rational - thank you!

I know that they aren't at massive risk, but for some reason it's bothering me far more than I can understand or explain.

Kids eh?!

[slightlysoupstained]

Iwish thank you for starting this thread, I am further east (Bristol area) so am hoping the risk is lower here but still feel anxious as DS is just 7 months. LoveSewingBee's posts have been very useful. We were planning to go and visit a friend in Swansea over Easter, I am very very glad that we didn't go now.

It's a very sad thing that the more widespread a vaccine programme is, the fewer people realise how important it is, because they are less likely to have encountered the consequences. It seems to take something like this before people actually sit up and think "hang on, doing nothing is NOT the best choice for my child here".

There is a known psychological effect where if a decision seems complex, people tend to stick to the default option even if it isn't what they would have chosen if given two simple options. I think for a lot of parents, all the noise from quack websites makes it seem like the decision is terribly complex, so they take the default of doing nothing.

[Jammygal]

Just wanted to add that my brother suffered with a terrible case of encephalitis as a result of mumps when we were kids. He very nearly died from it- it was touch and go.....he always found school a struggle after that.
Also my sister emigrated to Oz a few years ago and when she went and registered kids for healthcare, the nurse nearly hit the roof when she was told all three kids had already had chicken pox. All kids in Australia are vaccinated against C.P. because of the risk of complications from it! I bet is is down to funding as to why our kids in the uk are not vaccinated against it!

[ClaraOswinOswald]

My 2 had their boosters (one in 2005 one in 2008, no wonder I couldn't remember). Thanks for the advice, they are as immune as they can be.

[LoveSewingBee]

The WHO has advised that in certain situations vitamin A may be prescribed to reduce the effects of measles. If you are very worried you may want to discuss this with your GP (you don't want to take too much vitamin A).

Also for people who are immune suppressed or babies, there is an antiviral which MAY have some benefit - again discuss options with your GP.

None of the above can prevent measles though. Only the two vaccinations together with herd immunity (eg 95% vaccination rate) can really provide sufficient protection.

The biggest worry in Wales are still the many thousands of unvaccinated teenagers who form a massive risk to babies and immune suppressed people.

Unfortunately, until the teenagers get sorted, this outbreak is not over yet.

[mummytime]

I think there are two reasons we still don't vaccinate against Chicken Pox. First there are some issues over it long term effectiveness, and also its links to Shingles. Unlike other measles the virus remains in your body, and can then go on to cause shingles.

Second is that as the uptake rate of MMR is so low, the government doesn't want to waste money on another vaccination program, that will probably also have a low uptake rate. It would also divert money and attention from trying to increase the uptake of MMR.

(I say this as someone who caught Chicken Pox in pregnancy, nearly got her DC vaccinated whilst overseas, and whose DH's mother died of the complications of Chicken Pox.)

[bumbleymummy]

bruffin, as you've been informed countless times on vaccine threads - AW did NOT have a patent for a single measles vaccine. At the time he was urging caution about the MMR and suggesting that people use the single measles vaccine it was still available on the NHS. If you want to blame anyone for the decrease in the number of vaccinated children, blame the people who decided to remove the option for the single measles vaccine when there was still so much concern about the MMR. If they were genuinely worried about keeping up protection against measles then they would have gone down the 'something is better than nothing' route and given parents the choice until they were able to reassure them about the safety of the MMR. Instead they decided to push for all or nothing with the MMR and, unsurprisingly with all the media scaremongering, some parents opted for nothing.

[bumbleymummy]

JAmmy, it's not really surprising that the risks of chickenpox are going to be exaggerated highlighted in a country where they are promoting vaccination against it.

[bumbleymummy]

mummytime, I just read your post and I realise that it may come across as insenstive given that your MIL died from complications from CP. The risks of CP in adulthood are obviously much higher - one of the reasons why it makes sense to get it out of the way when they are younger.

[bumbleymummy]

...I realise that my last post*

[bruffin]

Bumblemummy
I have linked to the patent numerous times on these boards.There are a few people on these boards in denial about it. AW even admitted it at the GMC hearings that it was a single vaccine patent.
The patent very clearly says that there a problem with mmr and i have a safer vaccine.
http://briandeer.com/wakefield/vaccine-patent.htm the patent so others can read it for themselves

[bruffin]

apologies link

[bumbleymummy]

Not true. Read the whole patent so that you can get in in context and not just the highlighted bits.

[triballeader]

Just spent two weeks looking after a 15 year old with measles [cannot have vaccin under oncology] that was straightforward and not too bad but then my husband caught it off my daughter. He became so ill the GP wanted to send for an ambulance to take him to the regional isolation unit. I took him by car to reduce the risk of sharing it with the paramedics on call. He had to be immeadiatly isolated and spent a week being nursed in the dark in negative pressure isolation on oxygen, i/v drips. All his major organs inflamed and he developed 'black measles' from bleeding under his skin. His fever would not break and got stuck at 41C no matter what the hospital tried. His whole body began to swell from 'just measles'. It was terryifying to see someone so sick and not be able to do a darn thing. In between deliruim he begged to be allowed to die. It is not an experience I would wish on anybody. Thankfully he survived with only liver and eye damage. He is home but still under the the hospital. All I can say is this - my 16yr son with ASD and an egg allergy after seeing his dad raced to hospital and nearly die opted to request the MMR from his GP rather than risk measles.
We have had to explain to the HPA we have not been anywhere near Wales as we are in the West Midlands. If your family members are not in the medically advised at risk groups and have not had MMR or childhood measles please consider getting vaccinated rather than end up like my husband.

[bumbleymummy]

Sorry to hear about your husband triballeader - complications in adults are much more frequent and severe. :(