In January 2024 the UK Health Security declared a UK measles incident and as expected we are now seeing a rise in measles cases in Leeds, mainly in unvaccinated children.
What is Measles?
Measles is a highly infectious disease that can lead to serious complications.
Measles starts with cold like symptoms such as a high fever, runny or blocked nose, sore throat, and a cough, as well as sore, red watery eyes. Between 2-4 days later a rash will appear, this starts on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. See Measles – NHS for more information.
Measles is highly contagious. One person can potentially infect 12-18 other unvaccinated people. It is spread by coughing and sneezing.
Measles prevention
The Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect against measles. These are given as part of the childhood vaccination schedule, free from the NHS at age 1 and again at 3 years 4 months. In recent years the number of children receiving their vaccination has fallen with some areas of the city having vaccination rates as low as 40%. This means measles can very quickly spread amongst unvaccinated communities leading to a large increase in measles cases.
How can you support?
Please support to raise awareness of the rise of measles through your networks and communities by:
- Printing and sharing this easy read poster How to stay safe – Measles Outbreak – Poster – English – Health Publications
- Ordering and displaying posters for workspaces and community venues:
- Sharing a variety of social media assets on your website or any social media platforms.
Further resources
The Home – Health Publications website has measles resources in a variety of languages that can be ordered and delivered for free. If you would like support to access these please contact [email protected].
Guidance for managers has been developed to protect the health and wellbeing of front-line staff as attached to this email. Please ensure that managers familiarise themselves with this guidance and undertake the necessary risk assessments as required.
