Parents are worried about the safety of vaccinations
Opponents of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have set up a network of parents to help each other's children catch illnesses.
They believe that by exposing the youngsters to the diseases they will build up their own resistance to the bugs.
At least 500 sets of parents are said to be linked by the informal network - and each is ready to attend "measles parties" where families can meet those infected with the illnesses.
However the government has warned parents against shunning the vaccination scheme.
Mother-of-two Lesley Dove, from Harrow, Middlesex, is refusing to have her children treated with the MMR vaccine.
I think vaccines are bad for the immune system and it is better to let the body develop its own immunity
Mother-of-two Lesley Dove
Instead she lets her children mingle with youngsters who have come down with infections.
However so far Jonathan, eight, and Aurora, five, have failed to contract any of the illnesses.
Ms Dove said: "It is a matter of choice and letting parents make their own decisions.
"I think vaccines are bad for the immune system and it is better to let the body develop its own immunity.
"I would not say that all children should do this because there may be some who have weak immune systems.
"But I will not be letting my own children have the MMR vaccine."
Parents' network
Ms Dove is in contact with about 500 sets of parents and she lets them know if anyone in their area has children who are suffering from measles, mumps or German measles.
The children are then allowed to play with each other at the "parties".
Ms Dove, 36, added: "This is the way it was done until the days of MMR vaccine.
"When I was at school we all just caught these illnesses and got over them and developed our own immunity to them."
We are extremely concerned that any parent might put the health of their child deliberately at risk in this way
Department of Health
Their move is the latest development in the continuing debate over the MMR vaccine.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "We are extremely concerned that any parent might put the health of their child deliberately at risk in this way.
"The diseases these vaccines protect against are potentially very serious.
"It is every child's right to be protected against these diseases and mmunisation is the safest way for parents to protect their children."
Single vaccines
Other parents are campaigning for the right to give their children separate injections for the three illnesses.
However the British Medical Association recently rejected the idea of making single vaccines available.
They warned that parents who did not have their children vaccinated were threatening the health of other children.
Uptake of the MMR jab has fallen since concerns were first raised in 1998 that it was linked to a rise in autism and bowel disorders.
Immunisation rates have fallen to below recommended World Health Organisation levels, promoting fears that the immunity of the whole population could be threatened.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/health/1448848.stm
Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases. It is caused by paramyxovirus and is the most unpleasant and the most dangerous of the children's diseases that result in a rash. This is due to the complications of the disease.
It is a notifiable disease in the UK. This means that, by law, cases are required to be reported to a health officer or local government authority.
How is measles transmitted?
- Droplets transfer the infections. Although the sick person may be in isolation, the disease may still spread from room to room.
- Anybody who has not already had measles can be infected.
- Infants up to four months of age will not be infected if their mother has had measles herself because they will be protected by her antibodies.
- The incubation period - the time between infection and the outbreak of the condition - is usually one to two weeks.
- Patients are infectious from four days before the onset of the rash until five days after it appears.
After about 14 days the following symptoms start showing:
- a fever at about 39ºC.
- a cold.
- coughing, possibly with a barking cough.
- sore throat – the lymph nodes in the throat may swell.
- reddish eyes (conjunctivitis).
- sensitivity to light.
- greyish spots, the size of grains of sand may appear in the mucous membrane of the mouth just around the molar teeth. These are called Koplik's spots and can be seen before the rash appears.
- after three to four days the temperature may fall, although it can run high again when the rash appears.
- the rash usually begins around the ears and spreads to the body and the legs within a day or two.
- at first the spots are very small – a couple of millimetres – but they double in size quickly and begin to join together.
- the spots are a clear red colour.
- the temperature, which may run as high as 40ºC, may stay that high for a couple of days. Then it disappears together with the rash, which may leave some brown spots.
- after a week the child will be fit again.
The doctor should give children under the age of one who are exposed to the disease an immunity injection within five days.
In the UK all children between the age of 12 and 15 months are offered the MMR vaccination, which will protect them from measles, mumps and rubella.
How is measles treated?
The treatment is to stay in bed in a cool room without any bright lights. Medicines for coughing and reducing the temperature should only be given after consulting a GP.
Future prospects
The doctor should be consulted immediately if the condition of the child gets worse or the temperature stays high.
The doctor must make sure there are no further complications such as:
- fitting associated with the high fever (febrile convulsions/febrile fits)
- pneumonia (due to secondary bacterial infection)
- inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media)
- inflammation of the nervous system, eg meningitis, encephalitis. Fortunately, these complications seldom happen and are the exception rather than the rule.
Measles and pregnancy
If you are planning a pregnancy, you should make sure that you have a measles vaccination unless you have had the disease in the past
Contracting measles during pregnancy has not been reported to cause any subsequent congenital abnormalities in the baby concerned. However, it can result in an infection of the unborn child and may in the worst case result in the death of the baby from the disease.
If in doubt you should consult your GP in order to get the MMR vaccine. This vaccine cannot be given during pregnancy.
The recent large rise in the number of cases of measles in the UK has been directly linked to a fall in the number of children receiving the MMR vaccine.
Based on a text by Dr Per Grinsted
Last updated 24.11.2008
Source\; http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/measles.htm
Measles, in spite of available vaccination, remains a heavy public health burden worldwide especially in developing countries with 30-40 million cases occuring annually. In 2002, there were an estimated 610 000 deaths due to measles worldwide, 540 000 of them in children under the age of five, representing 30-40% of the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in childhood. Measles may be ultimately responsible for more child deaths than any other single agent because of complications from pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition. Measles is also the major cause of preventable blindness in the world, affecting the same disadvantaged populations.
Of the deaths attributable to measles, 98% occur in developing countries, where vitamin A deficiency is common. Case-fatality rates in these countries are usually estimated to be in the range 1-5% but may reach 10-30% in some situations. Specific goals for reduction in measles mortality and morbidity were set by the World Heath Assembly in 1989 and the Word Summit for Children in 1990, as major steps towards the eventual eradication of the disease. Subsequently, target dates of 2000, 2007 and 2010 for its elimination were established for the Region of the Americas, the European Region and the Eastern Mediterranean Region respectively. The aim in the African Region, the South-East Asia Region and Western Pacific Region is to reduce measles mortality.
Several strategies are now developed to increase coverage of immunization including a two-dose schedule, mopping up strategies, supplementary immunization strategies such vitamin A supplementation, one-round national and regional mass immunizations, and development of high-quality case-based measles surveillance supported by regional measles laboratory.
Vaccine
Measles vaccination is one of the most cost effective health interventions available and one of the most powerful tools for providing health equity to poor children. It is cost-effective to improve routine measles vaccination, as preliminary estimates suggest that the cost per life-year gained for expanding measles coverage from 50% to 80% is US$ 2.53 in areas with high disease incidence and high measles case-fatality ratios. Measles vaccine is highly effective, safe and inexpensive. With US$ 0.15 for one measles vaccine dose, children in developing countries can survive exposure to measles without sequelae. However, coverage with measles vaccine is low in many countries due to limited resources. Coverage could be greatly enhanced if the method of administration could be simplified. Current measles vaccination requires injection with a needle and syringe. The drawbacks of the needle and syringe technology are as follows:
- it requires highly skilled personnel to administer the vaccine;
- it is associated with a risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis and HIV if syringes and needles are re-used. This risk can be minimized if auto-disable syringes are used; and
- injection may be painful and present a risk of infection if a proper technique is not used.
As the natural route of infection for measles virus is the respiratory tract, administration of live attenuated measles vaccine through the respiratory tract has been investigated as an alternative to injection. Early studies have shown fewer acute adverse events following aerosol vaccination, as compared to conventional parenteral vaccine. Aerosolized vaccine is immunogenic and affective in seronegative and seropositive children. More than 4 million children were vaccinated with aerosolized measles vaccine in mass immunization campaigns in Mexico with good public acceptance. Aerosol vaccination can be performed by non-medical staff with some training. As aerosol vaccination uses the same vaccine formulation as parenteral vaccination, most cold chain procedures are identical. Now that the development of a respiratory route of administration is so promising for measles vaccine, WHO has convened a Product Development Group (PDG) to identify critical licensure steps, define clinical trials strategies and assist in protocol design, identify sites for clinical trials and ensure adequate implementation, monitoring and documentation of good practice. Following the current work plan aerosolized measles vaccine could be licensed in 2007 and introduced in practical use in 2009. This project is managed as a partnership between WHO, CDC and the American Red Cross, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In addition, studies are in progress to develop new measles vaccine effective for immunization of infants before 6-months of age. Indeed, infants are refractory to conventional measles vaccines in the presence of maternal anti-measles antibodies. To reach this objective several technologies are currently being tested including DNA vaccines, bacterial vectors, viral vectors (e.g. adenoviruses, poxviruses, alpha viruses) or ISCOMS.