Measles: the legacy of low vaccine coverage

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood Vol. 98; no. 10; pp. 752 - 754
• Main Author: Ramsay, Mary E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01.10.2013; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Autism; Biological and medical sciences; Educational Environment; England - epidemiology; Epidemics; Fatalities; General aspects; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Mathematical Models; Measles - epidemiology; Measles - prevention & control; Measles Vaccine - administration & dosage; Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine - administration & dosage; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Numbers; Preschool Children; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Reference Services; Secondary schools; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viral diseases with cutaneous or mucosal lesions and viral diseases of the eye; England; United Kingdom > UK; Wales; Human; Pediatrics; Vaccination; Coverage; Vaccine; Infection; Prevention; Immunoprophylaxis; Low; Viral disease; Measles; Child; Public health
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2013-304292

The impact of the adverse publicity was monitored through surveillance of vaccine coverage and regular survey of parental knowledge and attitudes. 20 By around 2001, safety concerns had reached their highest level with 24% of parents believing that MMR vaccine was a greater risk than the diseases it protects against. 21 By 2003-2004, MMR coverage in 2-year-old children fell to just below 80% in England, with lowest levels in London. 22 In the same year, coverage in Wales was little better at 82.4%, although coverage in Scotland and Northern Ireland remained high at 88.4% and 88.1%, respectively. 21 Despite the occurrence of occasional outbreaks, caused by limited secondary spread from imported cases, measles remained eliminated in England until 2005. In 2008, historic coverage data were used to estimate the future control of measles; this suggested that most of London was already above the threshold required to sustain measles transmission and that an epidemic of up to 100 000 cases of measles could occur. 27 This led the Chief Medical Office to announce a national catch-up campaign to offer MMR to any individuals under 18 years of age. 28 The impact of this programme on coverage in older children is unclear, but cases of measles declined in late 2009 and remained low in 2010.