Measles has been confirmed in Lancashire following warnings about a “resurgence” of the virus. 

It comes after warnings in recent months that several cases of the infectious virus had been detected in the North West, most of them in Greater Manchester. 

According to the government's notifications of infectious diseases database for the last 52 weeks, one case has been detected in the borough of South Ribble.  

No cases have been detected thus far in East Lancashire, according to the data.

At the beginning of February, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health, Lancashire County Council said: “If you've been following the news, you'll know there has been a recent, increase in measles cases in England, including (at the time of writing) an ongoing outbreak centred in Birmingham and around the West Midlands region of England.

“Most of the cases have been in children under the age of 10 years with many outbreaks linked to nurseries and schools.

“While there are no reported cases in Lancashire at the time of writing, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is warning that further outbreaks of measles will spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to increase measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in areas at greatest risk.

“Measles has practically been eradicated from Lancashire for several years so as director of public health, I am concerned by the prospect of it returning.

“Across England, uptake of the routine childhood vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine, is the lowest it has been in a decade and is well below the levels needed to protect the population and prevent outbreaks.

“This is giving this serious disease a chance to get a foothold in our communities.

“We want to make sure that parents have all the information they need about measles and MMR vaccination so they feel equipped with the knowledge of how to protect themselves and their loved ones from this disease.”

What is measles?

  • Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools
  • It can be a very unpleasant illness and usually starts off with a high temperature and a cold with red eyes, followed by a rash that spreads from your face to the rest of your body. The rash may be harder to spot on black or brown skin
  • In some children measles can be very serious, leading to hospitalisation and in rare cases can cause death
  • People in certain at-risk groups including babies and young children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immunity, are at increased risk of complications from measles

How to protect your loved ones from measles

  • Vaccines are the best line of defence against diseases like measles and help stop outbreaks occurring in the community
  • Achieving high vaccination coverage across the population is important as it also indirectly helps protect very young infants and other vulnerable groups
  • You can get the MMR vaccine on the NHS for free from your GP practice. Children are offered the first dose when aged one year and the second dose aged three years four months.

Dr Karunanithi continued: “We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their two MMR doses.

“It’s never too late to catch up, and you can get the MMR vaccine for free on the NHS whatever your age.”

The Lancashire Telegraph understands that GPs in Lancashire have sent out messages to patients urging them to make sure their children are vaccinated against the disease to stop an outbreak in the county.

Regionally, it is believed there has been more than one case of measles in Bolton, while two have been reported in Bury, and eight in Oldham.

Seven cases have been detected in Wigan, five in Rochdale, and one in St Helen’s.

Liverpool has eight confirmed cases while Manchester has 22.

Dr Abdul Mannan, a GP at the Hazel Valley Surgery in Haslingden said: “Anyone with symptoms that could have measles is advised to stay at home and phone their GP or 111 for advice rather than going to a medical centre or A&E, and that’s because measles can spread easily and it’s important to try and prevent the illness spreading further.

“People who have symptoms shouldn’t go to places where you can put vulnerable people at risk such as schools, nurseries and care homes.

“Measles is spread by coughs and sneezes. It normally clears up after seven to 10 days however it can lead to serious problems if it infects other parts of the body such as the lungs and brain.

“Babies, young children, pregnant women and those with a weak immune system are most at risk. Measles can be fatal.”

Symptoms of measles usually appear seven to ten days after contact with the virus, with cold-like symptoms such as runny or blocked nose, sneezing and cough and red, sore or watery eyes.

They also include a high temperature or fever, which may reach around 40 degrees Celsius.

How infectious is measles?

  • Measles is one of the most infectious diseases in the world and can spread easily through coughing and sneezing
  • Measles has an ‘R value’ of 15, which is very high and means it can easily reach other people very quickly
  • To put that into perspective, Covid-19 has an R value of three. Influenza is 1.7 and the common cold has an R value of eight
  • With such a high R value, it only takes a small amount of time for measles to spread from a handful of people to thousands of cases, especially if there are a lot of unvaccinated people
  • Currently, uptake of MMR in the region is much lower than the 95 per cent target set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is necessary to protect the population

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust posted the following on its social media channels on Sunday (February 18): “More than three million unvaccinated children are at risk of catching measles in England.

“Make sure your child is up to date with their MMR vaccinations.

“You can make an appointment with your GP practice to catch up on missed doses.”

Book a vaccine now

If your child’s vaccines are not up to date, book at the GP practice. Check your child’s Red Book if you are not sure or call the GP practice.

If you are not registered for a GP practice: find your nearest practice and get registered by checking: nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery

For more information, visit: lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/measles