As reported by The Telegraph, councils sound the alarm as measles cases surge, warning parents that unvaccinated children could face three weeks of isolation if exposed to the highly contagious disease
In letters from local authorities, parents in London and its surrounding counties were told that if a pupil is infected, classmates who have not had both doses of MMR could be sent home and asked to self-isolate for three weeks.
Uptake of the jabs fell significantly in the years following the discredited Andrew Wakefield study, which falsely linked them with autism in 1998.
It increased sharply after concerted efforts to persuade parents of the benefits of vaccination but has fallen again in recent years, with the programme set back during the Covid crisis.
Children at risk have already missed months of teaching during the pandemic because of school closures and being asked to self-isolate.
The mass mail-out of letters warning parents that children could be asked to self-isolate for three weeks because of contact with a classmate with measles is thought to be unprecedented.
Figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that there were 128 cases of measles in the first half of this year compared with 54 in the whole of the last one, with 66 per cent of those detected in London.
Just 75 per cent of children in the capital have had both MMR jabs by the age of five, against a figure of 85 per cent across the country. The World Health Organisation recommends an uptake of 95 per cent to provide herd immunity and prevent outbreaks.
Barnet Council, in north London, wrote to parents warning that the capital could see tens of thousands of measles cases without improvements in vaccination rates, bringing a risk of hospitalisation and – in rare cases – death.
The letter, sent at the start of the school holidays, urged them to get their children vaccinated and said: “Any child identified as a close contact of a measles case without satisfactory vaccination status may be asked to self-isolate for up to 21 days. Children who are vaccinated do not need to be excluded from school or childcare.”
The latest published quarterly figures show that just 72.1 per cent of five-year-olds in the borough have had both MMR jabs.
A similar letter from neighbouring Haringey Council, sent last week, warned of an increase in measles circulating and said children without both MMR doses might be asked to isolate for 21 days. The area has an uptake of 67.9 per cent for both doses of the vaccine by the age of five, according to the data.
Meanwhile, at the start of the summer, Hertfordshire County Council sent a letter to parents that said: “Did you know that if your child is identified as a close contact to a measles case and they do not have satisfactory vaccination status, they may be asked to self-isolate for up to 21 days?
“Children who are fully vaccinated do not need to be excluded from school or childcare. Vaccination can help keep your child in school.”
Several councils said they had sent the letters to parents at all schools in their area based on national guidance from UKHSA. But the agency said the guidance, issued by predecessor Public Health England, suggested head teachers might wish to consider “excluding” unvaccinated pupils exposed to cases of measles but did not go as far as telling them to self-isolate.
The National Measles Guidelines, published in 2019, say that susceptible contacts of someone who has it, such as unvaccinated siblings, should be advised to “self-exclude” from school during the incubation period, which can be up to 21 days.
The guidelines add that head teachers “may wish to consider excluding unvaccinated pupils who have been exposed because of the risk to other students”.
The MMR vaccine is 99 per cent effective after two doses, meaning children who had been vaccinated could still be at risk if an outbreak spread in a large school. The first dose, normally given around a child’s first birthday, gives protection of around 95 per cent.
Measles is one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases, with around nine in 10 unvaccinated people likely to develop it after close contact with a case.
Children under five, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are at highest risk of severe illness and complications. In the worst cases, it can cause acute encephalitis, leading to brain damage as well as respiratory problems, both of which can be fatal.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “When there are measles cases or outbreaks in nurseries or schools, the UKHSA health protection team will assess the situation, together with the school and other local partners, and provide advice for staff and pupils.
“Those who are not up to date with their MMR vaccinations will be asked to catch up urgently to help stop the outbreak and minimise disruption in schools.”
Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: “If a child is infected and there is a child in their class who isn’t immunised, there is a really high chance that the child will catch it and spread it to other unimmunised children. For children, measles is far more lethal than Covid ever was.”
Be the first to comment