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SPECIALIST: Dr Paul Turner

By Andy Williams

Wigan has had its first outbreak of measles for a decade - and health officials are warning parents and doctors to watch for signs of the virus.

In the past two months there have been six cases of the illness, which is typified by a rash.

All cases have been in young children not inoculated against measles in the form of the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine.

Public health officials are now urging parents whose children have not yet had the once controversial jab to get the youngsters immunised.

And they are warning people who think their child may have measles to take advice from their GP before heading to either a surgery or hospital, as it is highly infectious.

 

Dr Rona Cruickshank, director of Public Health Ashton Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust said: "We have informed local GPs about the recent cases and asked them to be alert for and to notify immediately any potential cases.

"We strongly recommend that, where possible, sick patients with a rash should be seen at a time and place where contact with other patients can be minimised, preferably at home or at the end of surgery, without any time spent in the waiting room."

Dr Paul Turner, Wigan´s specialist in public health said: "We are not trying to scare people. Most are going to be immune against measles. What we are doing is trying to stop the unnecessary spread of a virus.

"The advice for people is to contact their GP first, and listen to what they have to say."

 

The PCT has issued the following instructions to family doctors:

Offer MMR vaccine to susceptible patients within three days of exposure to a suspected or known case of measles.

Ensure that all children registered with their practices are fully immunised by two doses of MMR vaccine before reaching school age.

Advise parents to keep children with suspected measles off school or nursery for five days after the onset of the rash.

 

Dr Cruickshank added: "The Trust would urge all children and young people to have two

doses of the MMR vaccine to ensure protection against these serious infections."

Measles was a widespread childhood illness in the 1960s and 1970s but, since the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1988, and then MMR, the number of cases a year has fallen to low levels, the reason health professionals are concerned about the recent cases.

Measles is usually transmitted by direct person-to-person spread and there is evidence the virus can remain in the air for at least two hours after an infectious patient has left the room.

Treatment is based on addressing symptoms rather than the virus itself, such as reducing fever (aspirin must not be used for under-16s).

 

Occasionally, antibiotics may be needed for a secondary infection.

People are infectious from just before the time they become unwell to around four days after the onset of the rash.

Anyone affected should stay off school or work for five days from the onset of the rash.

Last Updated: 20 August 2007 11:49 AM