Reassurance from local PCT after national measles increase

Parents in neighbouring town Oldham have this week received health warnings as cases of measles in the town have multiplied. Nationally, cases have more than trebled in the last eleven weeks, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), and there have been eight possible cases in Oldham alone but the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust wanted to reassure parents that Rochdale is not witnessing similar increases.

Understandably the figures pose concerns for the community of Rochdale but Dr Sheila Will, Director of Public Health for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust, commented: “It is true that there has been an increase in the number of cases of measles across the country but I can reassure local people that at present there have not been any such outbreaks in Rochdale Borough. 91 per cent of two year olds across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale have received the MMR vaccination between January and March 2007 and therefore many children are already protected. This is even higher than the National uptake rate of 87 per cent.”

Nationally, cases have more than trebled in the last eleven weeks, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Even though Rochdale has not seen the worrying outbreaks that Oldham has, Dr Will suggested all children who have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine should visit their GP for immunisation.

She added: “Ideally this should be done as soon as possible to protect children as they start the new school year because the increased close contact in schools can allow the virus to spread more easily.

“It all goes to prove that getting your child vaccinated as early as possible is extremely important and we hope to increase our MMR uptake by even more in the future.”

An HPA spokesman admitted that fears over the safety of the MMR jab, the triple vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, could have helped spread the highly-infectious and potentially life-threatening disease, although he added that the jab was widely accepted as safe by the medical profession.

Measles is most common among children aged one to four who have not been immunised, but can strike older children and adults too.