There is an increasing number of people in the West Midlands with measles. Many of these are young children who have not had their measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.
Measles is a very infectious disease and could easily spread to other areas. People in the East Midlands who have not already done so, are advised to get their Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine as soon as possible.
Vaccination with TWO doses of MMR is the only way to give people maximum protection.
Measles can spread quickly among communities, such as schools and nurseries if people have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine. Anyone who has missed their MMR vaccination can get measles.
While most people recover completely within a couple of weeks, measles can cause very serious illness – sometimes leading to permanent disability and in rare cases, death. People in certain at-risk groups, including babies and small children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immunity are at increased risk of complications if they catch measles.
In the UK, we have 2 MMR vaccines which work very well. One of them contains gelatine derived from pigs and the other one doesn’t. Anyone who would prefer to have the vaccine that does not contain gelatine, can talk to their practice nurse or GP.
For more information, please download the UK Health Security Agency document below:
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