"I am concerned about measles in our population as we’re seeing an increase in cases across Europe. The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine that protects your child against measles. Find out more at immunisation.ie" - Prof Breda Smyth, Department of Health.
Find out more at:
www2.hse.ie/babies-children/v...
TRANSCRIPT:
WHAT IS MEASLES?
So, measles is an infection that's caused by a virus.
It can give rise to mild or very severe illness.
If my child had measles, what would that look like?
So, my child would be unwell, have a temperature, a rash over the body, then also would have possibly a runny nose, sore eyes.
And then it can also give rise to very severe complications like infection of the brain - encephalitis - or infection of the lung, like pneumonia, and sometimes it can actually give rise to death.
HOW CAN I PROTECT MY CHILD AGAINST MEASLES?
You can protect your child against measles by having your child vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.
This is a vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
In order to achieve full protection with this vaccine, your child needs two doses.
Your child is offered the first dose at 12 months by your GP.
And then the second dose is offered to your child when they are in junior infants by the schools’ immunisation team.
It is very important that you get your child vaccinated and your child is protected against measles.
WHY SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT MEASLES AS A PARENT?
Well, as a parent, I would be very worried about measles and as Chief Medical Officer, I am very worried about measles in our population.
There has been a significant increase in the number of measles cases in Europe this year in the first six months.
So much so that the number of cases is equivalent to all of the cases that were in the 12 months of 2022.
So, if I was traveling to Europe with my children this year, it's really important that my child would be protected against measles infection and this can be achieved through the vaccine.
WHY IS WIDESPREAD MMR VACCINATION IMPORTANT?
So, the World Health Organization recommends that 95% of the population need to be vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of the measles infection in the population.
Here in Ireland at the moment less than 90% are vaccinated against the measles virus.
So, this is very concerning and it increases the risk of it spreading.
So, if you're unvaccinated, nine out of 10 people who are unvaccinated are likely to get the infection if they're in contact with the virus.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO GET MMR VACCINATED NOW?
Well, it's always important to get vaccinated.
But now more than ever, because the levels of vaccination is lower and it's decreasing and it's really important that we get our population immunity levels increased to the desirable level of 95%.
But also, just from an individual level, if my child is meeting with other children over the summer, also, if I'm taking my family away and my children are going to be in Europe, there's a higher risk of being in contact with the measles virus.
So, it's really important to protect your child and to get them vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.
COULD THE MMR VACCINE MAKE MY CHILD SICK?
So, the vaccine is like any other vaccine, really.
It's given with a small injection.
So, your child could get a little bit sore at the injection site and a little bit of swelling.
Your child could develop a slight fever, but nothing a little bit of paracetamol wouldn't be able to treat.
And these discomforts really resolve quickly following a little bit of paracetamol.
The MMR vaccine is a safe vaccine.
ARE MY CHILDREN TOO OLD TO GET VACCINATED?
You're never too old to get the vaccine and in fact - in response to some mumps outbreaks - top-up boosters have been given.
So, if you haven't received your MMR vaccine it's never too late to receive it.
I’M WORRIED THAT I’M NOT DOING THE BEST THING FOR MY CHILD.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
So, the MMR is a safe vaccine but if you would like more information, you should talk to your GP or also go to the very good website immunisation.ie and there's lots of information for you there from a trusted source that will inform you with regards to the vaccine.