The lives of the vulnerable, especially young children, are at stake according to the UK’s leading vaccine expert as a campaign to boost uptake of routine jabs launches today.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, paediatrician and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, is urging parents to get their children vaccinated amid rising cases of whooping cough and measles.
The increase has coincided with sustained falls in vaccination levels for various diseases with devastating consequences.
NHS England data showed that none of the main childhood vaccines hit their 95 per cent uptake targets in 2023-24 including the six-in-one jab which protects against whooping cough, polio and tetanus, as well as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The latest UK Health Security Agency figures show only 85 per cent of under-fives in England have received two doses of MMR.
Since January, there have been 2,465 confirmed measles cases reported in England, which is very contagious and can causes serious complications such as swelling in the brain. In February, an adult visiting from Ireland who caught measles while in the UK died after they returned home.
The whooping cough vaccine is offered to all pregnant women between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy to protect their babies, but most recent figures suggest uptake is around just 60 per cent.
There have been nine reported deaths of infants from whooping cough in England since November last year, while the latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency show 12,200 confirmed cases between January and July 2024.
Measles – symptoms to watch out for
Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.
The first symptoms of measles include:
- a high temperature
- a runny or blocked nose
- sneezing
- a cough
- red, sore, watery eyes
- spots in the mouth
Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.
A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms. The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They’re not usually itchy.
The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin. It’s very unlikely to be measles if you’ve had both doses of the MMR vaccine or you’ve had measles before.
Sir Andrew said: “The recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough all across the UK, which have arisen because of falling vaccination rates, threaten the lives of the vulnerable, especially young children.
“Vaccines are the umbrellas that keep the rain away from all those who shelter beneath them. If we are to stay dry, we must put the umbrellas back up. Make sure that every child is immunised today.”
The campaign, which aims to educate and inform the public about how vaccines protect not only individuals but entire communities – including those who are vulnerable such as newborns and older adults – was created by the Vaccine Knowledge Project team at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
Researchers have developed an animation that, they say, focuses on the “critical role” whooping cough jabs play in protecting against infection, which can cause serious complications such as pneumonia.
It coincides with publication of a Lancet paper which shows the MMR vaccine remains the best protection against measles for life, protecting over 95 per cent of vaccinated people.
Most measles cases in England are in unvaccinated children and young people, but the proportion of measles cases in people who received two doses of the MMR vaccine has increased since 2010, especially among young adults: from 1.9 per cent in 2011 to 7.2 per cent in 2019.
Signs of whooping cough
The first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat (a high temperature is uncommon).
After about a week, you or your child:
- will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
- may make a “whoop” sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (young babies and some adults may not “whoop”)
- may have difficulty breathing after a coughing bout and may turn blue or grey (young infants)
- may bring up a thick mucus, which can make you vomit
- may become very red in the face (more common in adults)
The cough may last for several weeks or months.
The authors said the cause of this increase remains unclear, but a modelling study by scientists at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) suggests slow MMR vaccine waning may partially contribute to rising measles cases in double-vaccinated people when outbreaks occur.
Dr Alexis Robert, from LSHTM, said: “Although our results suggest that a slight waning of immunity from the MMR vaccine over time explains why we are seeing an increase in the proportion of measles cases in double-vaccinated people in England, it’s important to note that the biggest risk factor for measles outbreaks by far is low vaccination rates.
“The MMR vaccine remains highly effective and receiving two doses will protect you and those around you against measles infection. Even if you are one of the small number of people who get an infection after two doses of MMR vaccine, previous studies suggest measles symptoms in people who have been vaccinated are milder than in people who have not had a vaccine.”
Charlie Firth, vaccine knowledge and public engagement manager at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the reasons for the drop in vaccination rates range from from vaccine hesitancy and inequities in access to services to complacency.
“Many of the diseases we are trying to protect against have not been seen in a long time, and so the perception within the general public of the importance of vaccination seems to have dropped,” he said.
Sir Andrew said: “Measles cases are on the rise across the globe because children are just not getting jabbed. Most of the problem is the simple inadequacy of health systems, including the NHS, to connect with families, provide knowledgeable advice and ensure easy access to measles and other life-saving vaccines.
“It is a fact that measles goes away when at least 95 per cent of children are consistently vaccinated in a population and achieving this will stop the ongoing and future outbreaks here in our communities – we must fix this for our children.”
