dont want to worry people but measles alert!

[ludoscotts]

hi Ive just had a phone call from my mother-in-law. She is head of a nursery unit up in Rugby in the midlands. They were given a letter by their local authority today to give out to all children about a measles epidemic.

Apparently there is an epidemic in france at the moment and they are advising in this letter for people to avoid conact with people who have been to france if you are not immune to measles.

Also saying make sure your children have had the second mmr injection. They have to have had the second injection by the time they are 5 but they can have it once they are past 3 so it may be worth bringing the injection forward and having the booster sooner before people are starting to travel for the summer holidays.

We havent heard anything from our nursery so far so thought it might be worth mentioning.

[BellendenBear]

They can have the booster from 15 months if they have the first one at 12 months.

[Nom de plume]

With MMR jab rates low due to the recent unfounded scare, there is a good chance it might get a foothold in some areas, so ensuring you're up to date with jabs is a must.

[pebbles]

Thanks for reminding me, both my children are needing their boosters - no1 was 12m in Herne Hill and they didn't advise having booster until 3 1/2 however no.2 was 12m in ED and she's due for hers now at 18m. I'll book them both in when phones open tomorrow

[amanda tropy]

Thank you very much for reminding us. I also have neighbours who just came from France. I heard it from them as well.

[Trish]

I'm taking my 6 month old on a day trip to Paris on Saturday - he's had all his jabs but obviously we're not up to MMR yet. Am I putting him at too much risk do you think?

[Trish]

Worryingly, I've just received a letter from the nursery my child will be attending alerting me to the measles outbreak in France which is impacting on the UK and encouraging uptake of the MMR, ensuring the second jab has been administered. I really don't know whether to go on Saturday now. It's supposed to be a late birthday present as I wasn't really up for doing anything when baby was 3 months old!

[buggie]

Don't think a day trip to Paris will affect your baby that much Trish.

Measles is a droplet infection so someone infectious would have to breath/sneeze/cough over the baby and for the germs to take route (more difficult than it sometimes seems - see threads regarding chickenpox + siblings staying pox-free!).

Think risk is more for people holidaying over in France where the kids are going to have prolonged contact/close contact with other children - at 6 months babies aren't having that kind of contact (v unlikely you'll have other children coming that close to baby and they won't be wanting to "play").

If I were you, I'd put this to the back of my mind and look forward to what sounds like a lovely (if belated) way to celebrate your birthday! xx

[Trish]

Thanks so much for your post buggie - I read it before I went to Paris but didn't have time to respond. We had a fabulous day and as you said, my baby boy didn't really come into close contact with anyone (other than the French waitresses who couldn't resist cuddles with a chubby baby!).

[buggie]

That's ok Trish - glad you had a lovely time! x

[gardenfairy]

Not wishing to worry anyone unduly but my baby came into contact with another baby who had measles in East Dulwich in Feb this year. 'Treatment' was for him to have an MMR (babies over 6 months can have it - he was 9 months which is when they routinely give it in Africa). It was all taken pretty seriously and my doctors contacted the local 'immunisation co-ordinator' for advice. Fortunately he didn't get measles or any effects from the jab. He has to have another one at 12m and the booster at 15m+ as normal... alot of jabs, poor thing, but better than getting measles. I haven't heard of anyone else getting it, so hopefully that incidence was contained...

[ClareC]

What happens withbabies under 6 months?

[catgirl]

Well this is the problem when people choose not to immunise their children. Usually babies and also children who cant have the jabs for medical reasons rely on herd immunity to keep them safe from these diseases. Consequently they are put at risk when low take up of immunisations mean that these diseases start doing the rounds again.

[Saffron]

ClareC Wrote:

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> What happens withbabies under 6 months?

Would it be immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy, similar to treatment for chickenpox?

Also, just to add that my friend in Crofton Park (east of E Dulwich / Nunhead) was made aware through their nursery of a measles outbreak in their surrounding area last year about this time. Is it more commonly reported in the spring?

[Saila]

they've run out of MMR at melbourne grove doctors. fyi (ie dont book an apmnt and take time off work to go, only to be told they've run out...)

hopefully will get some more stock in at some point - they dont know when they'll get new stock in as yet

[Moos]

In case I'm not the only one..

My elder son was born in 2007, and got his first MMR in 2008. Around that time there was a measles outbreak and he was given an early MMR booster and the line in his red book was correspondingly filled in.

Since he was less than 18 months old at the time he does need a 2nd booster (and I've now booked it in), but according to his medical records he's already had the booster, so we didn't get a reminder, nor did the nurse spot it when he went for his pre-school jabs.

[gardenfairy]

ClareC Wrote:

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> What happens withbabies under 6 months?

from the NHS website:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Measles/Pages/Prevention.aspx

Children aged under 6 months

If the child's mother has had measles in the past, the child will usually be immune to the measles infection because the mother's protective antibodies will have been passed to the baby in the womb.

However, if the mother has not had measles, the child may be given an injection of human normal immunoglobulin (HNIG). HNIG is not a vaccine. It is a special concentration of antibodies that can give short-term but immediate protection against measles.

Children aged 6-13 months

A child aged between 6 and 13 months who is exposed to the measles virus will normally be given the MMR vaccine to protect them. However, if a child is given the vaccine before their first birthday, they should still be given two further doses as part of the childhood vaccination programme. These doses should be given at around 13 months of age and before the child begins school.

The NHS website is pretty helpful thou does have a scarey video from a mum who didn't immunise and whose daughter then got measles and had complications...think they are going all out to persuade people to immunise...