Parents are being urged to get their children immunised against measles in a bid to prevent an outbreak of the illness.
The call comes at the start of the latest school term and amid concerns it could spread after a recent outbreak around a school in London.
A letter has been distributed via a number of schools to warn parents of the potential dangers if they fail to have their children immunised with the MMR vaccine.
About 95 per cent of England’s population needs to be vaccinated to protect against a widespread outbreak of measles. However, in East Kent, the percentage of children immunised with the MMR jab by their second birthday had fallen to 79 per cent in the final quarter of 2007.
Kent is thought to be particularly vulnerable to the disease this year because of its proximity to London, where the MMR uptake is the lowest in the country. The virus can be highly contagious once an outbreak starts.
Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT spokesman Gary Mcfegan said: “The MMR vaccine take-up rate is not high enough to cancel out the threat of a measles outbreak.
“Measles is a serious illness and in some cases it can be fatal. Delaying immunisation puts children at risk.”
Symptoms for measles include: fever, conjunctivitis, runny nose, sore throat, and a cough. The rash appears three to seven days after the onset of fever. It begins on the face, becomes generalised and lasts for four to seven days. The skin may flake off as the rash disappears.
POSTED: 16/09/2008 17:00:00
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