Back to school: Healthcare workers fear measles outbreak
September is here which means the back to school season is now upon us. Alongside it comes fears from healthcare professionals that we could see an outbreak of measles.
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00:00Are your kids up to date with missed vaccinations before they head back to school?
00:05Healthcare professionals are concerned that the return to the classroom could mean a surge
00:09in the number of measles cases and so are warning parents to ensure their children are
00:14fully vaccinated.
00:16Measles is a highly spreadable virus passed on through coughs and sneezes and can in some
00:20cases cause children to become very seriously ill.
00:24It only takes one case to get into a school or nursery where many children are unprotected
00:28for numbers to suddenly surge, Dr Vanessa Saliba from the UK Health Security Agency
00:33said.
00:34The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, saw a huge dip in uptake
00:39following the coronavirus pandemic, seeing a virus which was almost entirely extinct
00:44have a massive resurgence.
00:46Now uptake of the jab has seen an increase following outbreaks earlier this year, but
00:50medical experts say there's still work to be done.
00:52It's recommended children should have two MMR vaccine doses for best protection.
00:57One is offered on the NHS at the age of one and the next dose at three years and four
01:01months, but it's not too late to catch up if your child has fallen behind.