Concern at rash of measles cases

THREE more suspected cases of measles have been found in children and teenagers in Oldham.

Now public health experts are urging Oldham parents to protect their children with two doses of MMR vaccine by ringing up a special information line.

The outbreak has seen 10 children infected so far, four in Oldham and six in North-East Manchester.

Six of the 10 reported cases have been confirmed by laboratory tests while the other four are “probable” cases.

The patients are aged from one to 17 years.

Three of the children needed treatment in hospital at the Royal Oldham Hospital, North Manchester General and Booth Hall Hospital, but have now recovered sufficiently to return home.

Dr Rosemary McCann, consultant in communicable disease control with the Health Protection Agency, said: “It’s of concern that we have three more suspected cases.

“Measles can be very serious with a potential for severe side effects.

“In rare cases it can kill.

“It should never be dismissed as a simple childhood illness and the only sure way for parents to protect their children from it is by giving them two doses of MMR vaccine.

“Ideally, children should be vaccinated at the age of 13 months and given a booster before starting school, but our message to children and teenagers who were not vaccinated at the appropriate time is that it is not too late.

“We are advising parents that, if their child has missed one or both doses of MMR, they should contact their GP to arrange vaccination.”

Last year there were 25 confirmed cases of the disease in the county.

Alan Higgins, director of public health for Oldham, said: “We know that in Oldham, as in north-east Manchester and other parts of the country, up to one third of children and teenagers have not had two doses of MMR vaccine.

“We’ve been offering catch-up clinics for older children for some time and working hard with GPs to make sure that younger children get the vaccinations they need.

“We are now redoubling our efforts to get the message across to parents and teenagers that they can still be protected. It just needs a phone call to the helpline.”

The measles information line for Oldham is 0800 0151 286