Whilst that have been numerous measles 'hot spots' around the country for the last decade or so, news that the current outbreak in South Wales, centred on Swansea but not exclusively, is now officially an epidemic is worrying.
With figures stating that over 40,000 children are still unvaccinated in Wales alone and that the disease can spread rapidly in schools, never mind where other people congregate, e.g. any large gathering such as supermarket or sports events, there is the real fear that this will spead much much further as Dr Evans, a consultant epidemiologist, there are many parts of the UK which do not have vaccination rates high enough to stop the spread of measles.
It is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission), and is highly contagious - some 90% of people without immunity sharing living space with an infected person will catch it.
Couple this with an incubation period of nine to twelve days from initial exposure, then it's understandable that the NHS/Public Health Boards/etc. are struggling to 'contain' the current outbreak and why it's seen to be spreading a lot wider than just the Swansea area.
Complications with measles are relatively common and are usually more severe in adults who catch the virus, which can include ear infections, bronchitis, blindness and encephalitis (acute measles encephalitis, for which there is no specific treatment, has a mortality rate of 15%).
Overall, measles has a death rate of around one in every 1,000 infected in developed countries.
For those wanting to know more, especially if they are not vaccinated, then
Blindness or deteriorated eyesight was always quoted as a possible result of measles.
My son got measles at 4 months old - ages before he was due for his official jab. Why? Because some moron of a woman, who should under no circumstances have been allowed to breed in the first place, thought it was a good idea to take her sick 4 year-old - spots, temperature and listlessness clear evidence of a viral infection - to a clinic for 1 month old babies - the toddler had measles!!!!!!! It's perfectly possible that she infected most if not all of the babies that had been taken to the clinic to ensure their good health and development.
Luckily he didn't seem to get any of the long-term effects. (He's 25 now but it still makes me angry to think of such casual thoughtlessness.)
15 years ago my twins who were 11 months old somehow came into contact with measles, first one was hospitalised in an isolation, she was lifeless and had to be drip fed as she never woke up for a week. It was awful seeing your child so ill. A week after having her back home her twin was admitted it had gone to his lung causing his stats levels to drop so needed to be on oxygen.
My children were to young at the time to have had their MMR then they were giving the MMR after 12 months, but many parents at that time were wanting to opt out of the tripple vacination being given to their child. In doing so put my children at risk.
Those parents should be taken to see how really ill children are with measles.
At the time I had to have environmental health officers come to my house and confirm they had actually had the disease. It is a reportable disease and they told me at the time, they were seeing an increase then because people were opting out of giving their children the MMR.
I felt then and still feel now, that other parents are not just putting their children more at risk by not having the jab but other's children too.
