{"id":81742,"date":"2024-02-06T16:06:55","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T16:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=81742"},"modified":"2024-06-20T23:40:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T22:40:37","slug":"cardiff-parents-urged-to-ensure-children-get-mmr-vaccine-amid-rising-concerns-over-measles-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2024\/02\/06\/cardiff-parents-urged-to-ensure-children-get-mmr-vaccine-amid-rising-concerns-over-measles-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff parents urged to ensure children get MMR vaccine amid ‘rising concerns over measles’ outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a November 2023 outbreak, Cardiff had the most suspected cases of measles in England and Wales<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

PARENTS in Cardiff are being urged to ensure their children receive the MMR vaccine amid fears of a new measles outbreak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning of “rising concerns” at a new outbreak comes from a statement<\/a> from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CAVUHB). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were eight confirmed cases of measles in Cardiff during the November 2023 outbreak – 32 across the year, Public Health Wales (PHW) said in January 2024. According to the UK Health Security Agency, Cardiff had the highest suspected number of cases in any English or Welsh city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current concerns are exacerbated by the fact that in Wales the amount of children aged five with both doses of the MMR vaccine has decreased to 89.5%, according to PHW. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeasles can cause children to become very ill and some who contract it will suffer life-changing complications,\u201d says Sir Frank Atherton, Wales\u2019 Chief Medical Officer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Frank wants the uptake of the MMR vaccine to increase to 95%. He says that this the target that the World Health Organisation recommends to best protect Welsh people from an outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr David Ellman, who works for Great Ormond Street Hospital, pointed out that a young adult died during the last major outbreak of measles in Wales in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We see deaths from both the immediate, but also the long term effects [of measles],” he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the MMR vaccine?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The MMR vaccine involves a course of two doses. The first dose is taken usually after a child is two years old, and the second dose is when they are five. However, the uptake of the MMR vaccine has decreased in recent years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consequences of not having the MMR vaccine can be immense, as it can spread rapidly among nurseries and schools, CAVUHB say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"