Health officials are urging parents in England to ensure their children are up to date with any missed vaccinations before they return to school. A rise in cases of the highly spreadable measles virus, which can be very serious in some children, is feared when the new term starts.
Uptake of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, has improved in many areas since a spate of outbreaks last year – but health experts say there is still ground to make up. Children can also be protected against other serious diseases, such as whooping cough, meningitis, diptheria and polio.
Davina Barrett, from Walsall, was “shocked” how ill her three-month-old son, Ezra, was after catching measles.
“The rash spread rapidly and covered his entire body,” she said. Seeing him struggling to breathe and being hooked up to oxygen was awful. I had no idea measles could make babies so ill. Ezra was taken to hospital after developing a red, spotty rash. Within hours, he had breathing difficulties and pneumonia.
Source: BBC
In other news – UK government will not fight Rosebank oil field legal challenge
The UK government will not fight a legal challenge against the decision to grant consent to drill in untapped oil and gas fields off Shetland and Aberdeen.
Greenpeace and Uplift jointly brought judicial reviews to stop the development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields. Read more
