Cases of measles are increasing in the UK, including in the West Midlands, and it’s likely that there will be cases in Telford in the near future.
Measles is a viral illness that can be serious and sometimes fatal. Spending 15 minutes with someone with measles is enough to get the virus. Symptoms of measles include high fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, small red spots with a bluish-white centre inside the mouth. A rash can appear later, usually on the face, upper neck, hands and feet, fading after 5 to 6 days. If you’ve not been vaccinated against measles you can be at risk, but it’s most common in young children. Someone with measles can spread the virus up to 4 days before a rash appears, and up to 4 days after.
Measles can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences, so make sure you and your children are up to date with MMR vaccinations, and ask your GP about catch-up jabs if needed. The MMR vaccine is highly effective at protecting against measles.
If you are unsure if your child is up to date with all their routine vaccinations you can check their Red Book (personal child health record) in the first instance. If you are still not sure, or if you need to bring your child up to date with their vaccines, you should contact their GP practice to check and book an appointment.
If you are concerned that your child has measles, please call your GP in the first instance, to reduce the risk of passing the disease to others in the waiting room. More information on measles can be found here and information on the MMR vaccine can be found here .
UKHSA have advised that a significant percentage of unvaccinated children who have contracted measles have been hospitalized, which highlights the severity of the issue. Other learnings are how protective two doses of the MMR vaccine are, and how disruptive the long exclusion period can be for unvaccinated contacts.
Anyone without immunity from vaccination or previous infection, identified via contact tracing as a contact of a measles case, would be required to stay away from the setting for up to 21 days. This would have significant implications for your business continuity and for affected staff members personally. Given the risk to staff working with children, we would advise that they check their vaccination status and catch up with any missed vaccines. More information is provided here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine/
If you suspect you have a measles case in the setting, or are advised by a parent/carer that their child has measles, please contact the Health Protection Hub on 01952 381800 or HealthProtectionHub@telford.gov.uk Useful information to have ready would be:
- Name of child
- Date of birth
- Class/room
- Name and contact details of parent/carer
- Date of onset of rash (if known)
- MMR status of child (zero, one or both vaccinations) (if known)
- Any known vulnerable pupils or staff in the class/year group (including pregnant staff)
