Hundreds of children could die of brain swelling disease linked to measles as vaccine uptake plummets,… – The Sun

HUNDREDS of children in the UK could die of a brain-swelling measles complication if the current outbreak is not taken more seriously, an expert has warned.

Professor Tom Solomon, chair of Neurology at the University of Liverpool and director of The Pandemic Institute, has said thatunless more kids are vaccinatedagainst measles, up to 1,500 could lose their lives to encephalitis.

He said: "It is a tragedy that in 2024, we have measles in the UK.

"Inevitably, there will be children who develop measles encephalitis and are at risk of death or brain damage.

"This disease is completely preventable by vaccination.

"We must do everything we can to get people vaccinated."

Some 1,603 measles cases were reported in England and Wales in 2023, compared with 735cases in 2022 and 360 in 2021.

Meanwhile, NHS figures show more than 3.4million children under the age of 16 are unprotected againstmeasles, meaning they are at high risk of catching the bug and developing serious complications.

"This [low vaccine uptake] could result in 10,000 cases of encephalitis, potentially causing 1,500 early deaths," the professor told The Sun.

Encephalitis is a rare complication of measles that happens when the virus "enters the brain".

"The body tries to fight this infection, and there is inflammation and swelling; this is called encephalitis," Prof Tom added.

Typical encephalitis symptoms include confusion and seizures. These usually come on when the classic measles rash emerges.

Gemma Larkman-Jones, from South London, shared how herlittle boy Samuel passed away aged sixfrom a rare and slow-progressing form of encephalitis calledsubacute sclerosing panencephalitis(SSPE) thatstrikessufferers years after they were first infected with measles.

Up to three children out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis - and up to 15 per cent of those will die.

For those who survive, up to a quarter (25 per cent) will be left with permanent brain damage.

And one in 25,000 children with measles will develop SSPE, which almost always leads to death.

Encephalitis can occur in children either during or after a measles infection

It usually comes on during the rash phase of measles or several years later in the form of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

Symptoms include:

It's important to act fast if your symptoms become more serious.

You should dial 999 immediately to request an ambulance if you or a loved one has symptoms (even if they don't also have measles).

For more information on Encephalitis, go to theEncephalitis Internationalwebsite.

Source: NHS

Whilemeaslesusually triggers cold-like symptoms,other complications include blindness,pneumonia and meningitis.

The bug has no specific treatment, but it can be prevented with themeasles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.

Unvaccinatedchildrenwho come into contact with measles are currently being advised to stay at home for 21 days.

This is because measles is very contagious, with a patient typically passing the viral infection on to 20 others.

Many people have forgotten how serious measles can be"

It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing or touching contaminated surfaces.

To keep measles at bay, 95 per cent of children must be vaccinated.

But recent NHS data shows only 84.5 per cent of childrenin England had received the second MMR dose by their fifth birthday.

Coverage in London is particularly low, at just 73 per cent, with Hackney in east London at 56.3 per cent, followed by Camden in north London at 63.6 per cent.

Urgent, "concerted action" is needed to tackle the virus to stop its spread, according to health specialists and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Earlier this month, Birmingham Childrens Hospital reported being inundatedwith the mostmeaslescases it had seen in decades.

Professor Helen Bedford, an expert in child public health at University College London, previously told The Sun, people "had forgotten how serious this disease [measles] can be because they've never seen them".

In 2017, the UK was declared measles-free after vaccination rates hit the 95 per cent threshold.

But, the country lost that status in 2018 after a drop in vaccination rates led to a resurgence of the virus across Europe.

Tens of thousands of children missed out on the MMR vaccine in the 1990s because of the now-debunked autism fearsraised by discredited medic Andrew Wakefield.

Kids are offered their first dose at age one and their second at three years at four months, just before they start school.

However, if they, or any one else, has missed any jabs, they can catch up at any time through their GP surgery.

If you don't know if you or your child isn't up to date with their jabs, call your GP for an appointment.

MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people.

The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

The first signs include:

Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later.

A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.

The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy.

The rash looks brown or red or white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin.

Source:NHS

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Hundreds of children could die of brain swelling disease linked to measles as vaccine uptake plummets,... - The Sun