Texas Vs. England, Who Manages Measles Better?

Sussex and Surrey counties in the UK confirm 70 measles cases since January 2018
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United Kingdom (Precision Vaccinations News)

What happens when a large number of high school students avoid the measles vaccination?

A high school near Portsmouth, England is a new example of how the measles virus can quickly spread amongst students.

Public Health England (PHE) is doing 'all they can' to prevent a measles outbreak from spreading after 15 cases of measles were confirmed at Chichester High School, reported Spirit FM.

PHE reported the number of people catching measles in Sussex and Surrey counties is 4 times higher than in 2017.

PHE has already confirmed 440 measles cases during 2018. 

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases and is transmitted by airborne droplets or direct contact with secretions from the nose, mouth, and throat of infected individuals, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

PHE is urging those living in the Chichester area to ensure that everyone in their family has received two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and to be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles, following these new confirmed cases of measles.

PHE established special clinics at schools to administer the MMR vaccine for school-aged children who have not previously been vaccinated against measles or catch-up sessions for students who have received only 1 dose of the MMR vaccine.

This high school measles outbreak should not come as a surprise to PHE.

A British Medical Journal retrospective cohort study was published during March 2017 recommended catch-up measles vaccination campaigns as a matter of urgency aimed towards young adults entering higher and further education establishments.  

This BMJ study used vaccination records for children born between 1995 and 2012, to establish that this population susceptibility to measles was high. This cohort was defined as ‘vulnerable’ to future measles outbreaks.

Additionally, the World Health Organization has issued a warning regarding the ongoing measles outbreaks in Europe stating that health officials should redouble efforts to vaccinate their populations, according to an epidemiological update.

Measles cases in the European region quadrupled in 2017, with the global vaccination coverage stalled at 86 percent.

In the USA, vaccination rates are impacted by both school requirements and personal preferences.

During the 2016–17 school year, kindergarten vaccination coverage approached 90%, and the median exemption rate among children attending kindergarten was 2 percent, reported the CDC.

But, in certain Texas school districts, vaccine exemptions are actually increasing. 

Of Texas schools responding to a 2016-2017 DSHS report, 52,756 kindergarten through 12th-grade students were reported as having conscientious exemptions on file.

This represents a 17 percent increase in "conscientious exemptions' over one year.

The Eanes school district in Travis County reported 3.6 percent vaccination exemption rate, which is almost quadrupled since 2016.

On an individual school basis, data for Austin Waldorf School shows roughly 49 percent of the school’s students received vaccination conscientious exemptions during the 2016-17 school year.

This data indicates that the measles immunization safety net has holes in it.

This fear turned into reality in central Texas during 2018, when 6 confirmed measles cases were reported in unvaccinated individuals.

In the USA, measles vaccines are available at most pharmacies.

To easily schedule a vaccination appointment, please visit here

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides the private sector vaccine prices for general information, and vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects, says the CDC. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.

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