ADPH responds to recent measles outbreak

Following the rise in measles cases in London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, Prof. Matthew Ashton, ADPH Board Member, has talked about the underlying issues behind the headlines.

Prof. Ashton, who is also Director of Public Health for Liverpool City, where a child tragically died from measles last week, said:

“As we’ve seen, measles is a very serious illness and the best protection is the MMR vaccine, which is safe, effective, free, and been used for over 50 years.

“The current outbreak is concerning but sadly, not surprising. Uptake of the MMR vaccine (which is given as two doses, usually in childhood, and guards against measles) has been significantly lower than we need it to be for sometime now.

“Directors of Public Health work in partnership with a wide range of people and organisations, including the NHS, health visitors, schools, and community groups, to raise awareness of the importance of getting vaccinated.

“There is clearly more to be done to raise awareness of how serious measles can be to everyone, particularly to the very young, during pregnancy, and for those with underlying health conditions. It is also important to address the disparity between vaccine take up by people living in different areas – we know for example that people living in poverty and those living in rural areas are less likely to be vaccinated.

“We saw during the Covid-19 vaccination roll out how important community champions and trusted local leaders were in supporting health professionals to raise awareness and dispel myths amongst their communities. We need to work with them – and everyone involved – to remove the barriers that are currently making getting the vaccine difficult so that routine immunisation is as easy as possible, particularly for people who have complex, busy lives, where it can be difficult to prioritise routine healthcare appointments.

“Directors of Public Health know their local populations really well and will continue to work with them and the NHS to support the roll out of this – and other – vaccination programmes.”