Friday 19 April 2013

MEASLES - important information from Powys local health board.

As you will have seen in the media, there is an outbreak of measles in Wales with the number of cases currently standing at 735. Although centred around the Swansea area, the outbreak has also spread to Powys and all of the seven health boards have recently reported measles cases.


In 2012, there were less than 5 measles cases in Powys – however, in 2013, we have been made aware of 66 cases and this number is likely to rise further. Most of these cases are in the Montgomery area, although we have seen a significant number in the Ystradgynlais area too.



Measles is highly infectious, and can lead to serious permanent health problems such as deafness and brain damage and in some cases it can be fatal. The only protection against measles is the MMR vaccine. It is recommended that all children should have one dose of MMR aged 13 months and a further dose at 3 years 4 months. One dose of MMR will protect 90% of children and 2 doses will protect 99% of children against measles. If enough people in our community are vaccinated, this should protect our vulnerable patients who are not able to have the MMR vaccine e.g. babies, pregnant women, those with problems with their immune system.



In Powys, 1 in 10 five year olds and 1 in 4 sixteen year olds have not had 2 doses of MMR. This means that there is a large cohort of children who are still not fully protected against measles.



Powys teaching Health Board is urging all parents to make sure their child has had 2 doses of MMR, as this is the only way of protecting them from measles. We are working closely with our GP Practices to ensure that the MMR vaccine is easily accessible. GPs in affected areas are in the process of contacting parents of children who are unvaccinated. All our GPs across Powys are aware of the outbreak and have been provided with guidance on how they can help to limit this outbreak. In addition, we are planning to hold vaccination sessions in affected schools from next week onwards.

To prevent the spread of the illness, Public Health Wales has issued the following advice to the public:

• If your child is unvaccinated make immediate arrangements with your GP for them to receive the MMR jab. This is even more important if your child has had contact with someone with measles.

• If your child is unwell and you suspect it is measles you should contact your GP. Your child should not attend school or nursery for four days after the rash starts.

• Telephone your GP surgery to inform them you or your child has a rash illness before attending, so that arrangements can be made in advance for minimising contact with other vulnerable patients.

• Avoid going to A&E unless you are seriously ill, and if you do attend, telephone ahead to let them know you or your child may have measles.

• Avoid contact with pregnant women, people with weak immune systems and babies who are too young to be vaccinated, as they are more vulnerable to infection and there are very few treatments available to help them if they do catch measles.

• If any family members are pregnant, receiving chemotherapy, or aged under one, it is vital to ensure that all other family members are up to date with their MMR vaccination.