Measles

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Do not attend the clinic in person if you think you have measles. Call us first. We will then arrange a swab test.

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Measles is a highly infectious viral illness. Measles starts with cold-like symptoms that develop about 10 days after you get infected. You will then get a measles rash a few days later.

The illness usually lasts 7 to 10 days.

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Get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to avoid catching measles. Do not get the vaccine if you are pregnant. Avoid trying to get pregnant for 1 month after the vaccine.

When you have had measles, your body builds up resistance (immunity) to the virus. It's highly unlikely you'll get measles again.

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There have recently been a number of cases of measles in Ireland and one adult has unfortunately died.  Ireland is at risk of a measles outbreak as vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% level that provides "herd immunity".

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Check if it’s Measles

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The first symptoms of measles are:

• cold-like symptoms such as aches and pains, a runny nose, sneezing and a cough

• sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light

• a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above (fever), which may reach around 40 degrees Celsius

• small greyish-white spots in your mouth

• loss of appetite

• tiredness, irritability and a general lack of energy

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The rash appears around 2 to 4 days after the first symptoms. It fades after about a week.

You will feel most ill on the first or second day after the rash develops.

The rash:

• is made up of small red-brown, flat or slightly raised spots - these may join together into larger blotchy patches

• usually first appears on the head or neck and then spreads outwards to the rest of your body

• is slightly itchy for some people

The rash can look like other childhood conditions, such as slapped cheek syndrome, roseola or rubella.

It’s unlikely to be caused by measles if you have been fully vaccinated or had measles before. You need 2 doses of the MMR vaccine to be fully vaccinated.

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See photos of the rash and the spots in the mouth at the following page:

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/measles/

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Details of the Measles Vaccine can be found at the following link:

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/pubinfo/pcischedule/vpds/mmr/

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In brief:

Children under 12 months do not need an early vaccination

Children who have had one vaccine do not need their junior infants booster early

If a child has had 2 doses of the MMR after the age of 1 year, they do not need a third dose

Adults born in Ireland before 1978 can be presumed to have had measles and do not need a vaccine

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A vaccine catch up programme is underway and one or two doses can be given to those who need either a booster or full immunisation with two doses.  These can be given in our surgery for free. 

See - https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/news/mmrcatchupprogramme.html

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Lastly, is there any link to autism?

No, there is no link to autism.  This fear grew out of falsified research that has since been proven on a number of occasions to be completely untrue.  This hesitancy about the vaccine is part of the reason that vaccine rates have fallen off and why there is now a resurgence.  

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From the HSE website:

No. We know that vaccines don’t cause autism. However, when things happen around the time vaccines are given we can think that there is a link between the two things. For example, the signs of autism usually become noticeable at about the age when children are given the MMR vaccine, but one does not cause the other. The majority of children are immunised, therefore children with and children without conditions such as autism, asthma or attention deficit disorder are just as likely to have received the same vaccines.

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Over the past 30 years, more than 500 million doses of MMR vaccine have been given in over 90 countries. Experts from around the world, including the World Health Organization, agree that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism or inflammatory bowel disease.

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Studies to see if children who have been immunised are more likely to have these conditions have shown that there is no link between the conditions and vaccines. Extensive research into the MMR vaccine, involving thousands of children, was carried out in the UK, the USA, Sweden, and Finland. This research showed that there is no link between MMR and autism. A study looked at the vaccination records of every child born in Denmark from 1991 to 1998 (over half a million children). During that time, 82% of children born in Denmark received the MMR vaccine. The researchers found that the risk of autism was the same in immunised children and in children who had not been immunised.

The General Medical Council in the UK in May 2010 decided that Dr Andrew Wakefield should be removed from the medical register after finding him guilty of serious professional misconduct and unethical behaviour in relation to research he carried out on children. Dr Wakefield used the results of this research to falsely represent a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

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Several professional organisations dedicated to finding a cure for autism have published position statements regarding autism and vaccines.

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Autism Speaks (2015), the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organisation has stated,

“Over the last two decades, extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this research are clear: Vaccines do not cause autism. We urge that all children be fully vaccinated”.