Greater Manchester’s NHS is urging more than 200,00 people aged 16 to 25-years-old to be aware of ‘one of the most infectious diseases in the world’ amid rising cases.
People aged between 16 and 25 are being told to come forward for their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines as infectious grow, if they have not already been fully vaccinated. Starting on Tuesday June 18, this next phase of the MMR vaccination campaign, will see 201,000 young people across the city region receive letters and texts from the NHS notifying them that they’ve not had their MMR jab or have missed one of the two doses.
Last month, the Manchester Evening News reported how measles cases are rising in teenagers and adults in their 20s in Manchester because of its student population, and the city had seen ‘more people than expected’ being admitted to hospital with the illness’. Manchester has also been the site of the second highest number of suspected measles cases anywhere in the country so far this year.
READ MORE: Measles cases rise in teenagers and adults in their 20s in Manchester, city health chiefs warn
Measles is one of the world’s most infectious diseases with estimates showing that one infected adult or child can pass the disease onto around 15 other unvaccinated people. It spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries, schools and universities.
Any young person who is eligible aged between 16 and 25, will be able to book an appointment with their GP or visit one of the Greater Manchester pharmacies offering MMR vaccinations without an appointment. This new vaccine push is part of a wider NHS MMR vaccine catch up campaign, targeting Greater Manchester, West Midlands and London – with these areas more at risk due to the number of people who are not up to date with their MMR vaccinations.
In May, the deputy public health director for Manchester said universities in Manchester have drawn up a plan for an outbreak of the highly infectious disease in halls of residence, as the city has a lot more people in the university age group. She added: “We’d already been preparing, so we’ve done scenario planning exercises with our university colleagues – what would you do if you had a measles outbreak in your halls of residence. We’ve worked through that, pretended it’s happened and what would we do, who would be involved, so we’re ready in case we do get any outbreaks like that.
“We’ve seen that shift, so again, messages have gone out this week to hospitals, and to primary care, to just remind them don’t just look out for symptoms in babies and young children, you need to be looking out for symptoms in other ages as well.”
Catching measles can lead to life changing issues for adults and children, such as blindness, deafness and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) – and those in certain groups, including babies, pregnant women, and people with weakened immunity, are at increased risk of these complications.
There is currently no medical treatment for measles, however, two doses of the MMR vaccine can give someone effective lifelong protection against becoming seriously unwell with the disease.
The latest outbreak is thought to have started last October in Birmingham, with the West Midlands and London being the two worst affected regions so far, although there have been clusters of infections in every region of England. The outbreak in those regions has especially hit babies and children under 10.
More than 1,000 cases of measles have been confirmed by lab tests in England so far this year. That is more than triple the 362 cases seen all last year and the biggest outbreak in more than a decade, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The UKHSA blames the spread on low take-up of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine in parts of the country. In England, 92.5% of children had received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine by the age of five in 2022-23, down from 93.4% the previous year and below the national target of 95.5%.
But in some areas the vaccine uptake is much lower. For example, more than one in 10 children in Birmingham, the area where the outbreak is thought to have started, had not been vaccinated (88.1%).
In Manchester, the proportion of children who have had two doses of the MMR jab – which provides full coverage against the illnesses – is only in the ‘mid-70s in terms of percentages’, said Manchester’s director of public health, Dr Cordelle Ofori, in May. Uptake levels of childhood vaccines offered through the routine NHS vaccination programme in England have been falling over the past decade across all vaccines, including whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, meningitis and diphtheria.
“The highest concern is children who have not had any dose of the MMR vaccine, including those in school settings, and university students as part of the under-vaccinated ‘Wakefield Cohort’; that is 19 – 25 year olds affected by the discredited report in the early 2000s linked to Dr Andrew Wakefield,” a report to Manchester’s health committee last month said.
“I want to say really, really clearly – there is no connection between MMR and autism,” Dr Ofori told May’s Manchester health scrutiny meeting. “The most important way of preventing measles is to have that MMR and to have had the two doses by the age of five, ideally to have that second dose when you’re three years and four-months-old.
“So by the age of five, every single child who can have the vaccine has had it. That’s how we prevent measles from spreading.
Earlier in the year, phase one saw over a million parents and carers of six to 11 years-olds in England, including Greater Manchester, who were not up to date with their MMR vaccinations sent emails, letters and texts inviting them to book a vaccine appointment for their children. In April, 15 pharmacies from NHS Greater Manchester began taking part in a North West pilot offering the MMR vaccine for free for the first time.
No appointment is needed, but there may be a wait for the pharmacist to become available and if the pharmacist is booked up, people may be invited to return at a planned appointment, says the region’s NHS.
Dr Helen Wall, clinical director for population health at NHS Greater Manchester said: “With cases of measles rising in Greater Manchester and nationally, it’s more important than ever that young people ensure they have had both doses of the MMR vaccine.
“Measles doesn’t just affect children, it can affect people of all ages, and if you’re not fully vaccinated then you are more likely to get seriously ill and be hospitalised.
“The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to protect yourself and others – just two doses can give life-long protection against becoming seriously unwell. That’s why we are urging anyone aged 16-25 who hasn’t had both doses of the MMR vaccine to please find their nearest pharmacy offering the MMR vaccine or contact their GP surgery for an appointment.
“If you’re unsure if you have had one or both doses, you can check on the NHS app or contact your GP surgery. For anyone whose records are not up to date or it’s unclear either way, then we recommend getting the MMR vaccine anyway just to be safe.”
In the United Kingdom, over 20 million cases of measles have been prevented since vaccination against the disease began during the 1980s, according to data from UKHSA. Data also shows that over 4,500 lives – 81 lives per year – across the United Kingdom have been saved as a result.
Symptoms of measles appear 7-10 days after contact with the virus and include:
- cold-like symptoms such as runny or blocked nose, sneezing and cough
- red, sore, watery eyes
- high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40OC / 104OF
- a non-itchy, red-brown rash usually appears 3-5 days later (sometimes starts around the ears before spreading to rest of the body), spots may be raised and join to form blotchy patches – which may be harder to see on darker skin tones
- small white spots may appear inside cheeks and the back of lips (for a few days)
If you or a family member develops any symptoms of measles contact your GP by phone, the NHS advises. Please do not go to your GP, walk-in centre or any other healthcare setting without calling ahead, as measles is very infectious.
The full list of NHS Greater Manchester pharmacies providing the MMR jab can be found here.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
