The Mancunian Way: 'The warning signs could have been seen from space'
24.01.2024 - 16:51
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Five years ago the UK had eradicated measles. But now a national incident has been declared over a sharp spike in the highly infectious virus.
So what’s happened? Vaccine scepticism appears to be a large part of the answer.
The government admits the illness is ‘entirely preventable’ – but said there has been a ‘gradual decline’ in the number of kids getting the MMR jab in the last 10 years. But opposition figures say ‘cases have also risen consistently over the years, and by 120 per cent in the past year alone, so the warning signs could have been seen from space’.
Here in Greater Manchester the proportion of five-year-olds who have had two doses of the MMR vaccine by age five stands at 83.5 per cent - just under the England average at 83.8 per cent, and way below the target set by the WHO of 95 per cent.
There has been a decline in the uptake of vaccines ever since now debunked claims of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism by Dr Andrew Wakefield. A drop was also seen in the wake of Covid-19, which brought missed routine vaccinations and vaccine fatigue.
Some communities also have concerns about the type of vaccine used, as some jabs contain gelatine derived from pork products. But the upshot is that 3.5M children under 16 are not protected against a disease which can, in the most serious cases, lead to hospitalisation and even death.
But the good news is, it’s never too late to get vaccinated. Dr Helen Wall, clinical director for population health at NHS Greater Manchester, said: “We have not had a confirmed case in our city region since October 2023 but we are ensuring adequate infection prevention and control measures in our clinical settings, including GP practices and hospitals, and that appropriate isolation