Measles Spreads in the UK

Anyone planning to travel to the UK over the Christmas holiday?  

UK health officials are suggesting you check the latest measles vaccine guidance at NaTHNaC travel health advice.

During November 2017, the UK warned that certain cities could be on the brink of a measles outbreak, after confirmed cases of the highly-infectious bug in Leeds and Liverpool, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Just last week, four cases of measles confirmed in Greater Manchester.

These cases bring the 2017 total to 70 children in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Surrey, and Sussex with confirmed measles.

Families in these cities are being encouraged by UK health officials to check that they and their children have had two doses of MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.

For some international travelers, courses of vaccines are recommended, which can take a number of weeks to achieve full immunization.

Measles is an easy disease to prevent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the WHO European Region, 42 of 53 countries have interrupted endemic transmission of measles, and 37 countries have interrupted endemic transmission of rubella as of the end of 2016.

Specifically, unvaccinated people traveling to Romania and Italy, where there are currently large outbreaks of measles, are at particularly high risk.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.

In the latest findings, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed 1,789 measles cases among U.S. residents reported from January 2001 through December 2015.

The CDC reported that nearly 70 percent of people with measles were unvaccinated.

In the USA, measles outbreaks typically occur when an international traveler visits a country with endemic measles transmission.

The CDC recommends that all U.S. international travelers be immunized for measles before departure in order to limit the importation of the disease into the U.S.

A recent study found that adult travelers who presented for pre-travel consultation, 16 percent met the criteria for getting the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

But fewer than 50 percent of these travelers were vaccinated.

This interactive map highlights global outbreaks of measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and whooping cough from 2008-2017. These diseases are easily prevented by vaccines.

Since the cost estimates for a measles case ranges between $5,655 to $181,679, getting an MMR vaccination is a far less expensive prevention tactic.

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides the private sector MMR vaccine prices for general information.

Most pharmacies offer the MMR vaccine, and vaccine discounts can be found here.