Measles & MMR

meritaten

he was 25 - do the math!

Person_one

meritaten wrote: »

he was 25 - do the math!

He could have had the singles as an infant and the MMR as the booster, or MMR for both, or neither or course!

25 year olds are just on the cusp of the change in the late eighties.

meritaten

Person_one wrote: »

I'll admit I only read the headlines and assumed, fair cop.

However, it isn't scaremongering to say that measles can be devastating for seemingly healthy people, it can. Measles is scary, that's not my doing!

You have just gone right up on my respect scale!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There may be another post mortem I hear - how awful for the family. my heart goes out to them.

Here in Wales the 'Measles outbreak' is always the lead item on the news - and you weren't alone in assuming the 25yr old died of measles - without actually saying so the media implied it. its got to the point where people are actually avoiding the Swansea area (which previously was popular for shopping, hen and stag nights etc) its going to harm the local economy soon).

oh and here in Caerphilly BC 2 more have just joined the stats - my nieces! who received the MMR 11 days ago!

Yes, measles can be scary - but so can flu, chicken pox can have scary complications but in this country we don't feel the need to vaccinate against it. There are lots of illnesses which can cause complications/deaths in those vulnerable to them.

but, it IS a childhood illness which only RARELY causes complications! we shouldn't forget that.

securityguy

meritaten wrote: »

chicken pox can have scary complications but in this country we don't feel the need to vaccinate against it.

The reason for not doing chicken pox vaccination is much more complex than that. If you could somehow start from scratch, it would definitely be worth doing: chicken pox can be absolutely devastating in pregnant women. Chicken Pox vaccine is offered to all NHS staff who aren't demonstrably immune.

But it's a trade off. Constant exposure to a low level of chicken pox in the environment acts as a booster to people who have already had chicken pox, and probably reduces the incidence of shingles. If you introduce large-scale vaccination, then you will probably see an elevated rate of shingles. Shingles is really serious.

Once it reached steady state in a couple of generations, mass chickenpox vaccination would be a thoroughly good idea: less chicken pox, less shingles. But you'd have fifty years of extra cases of shingles amongst adults who have been exposed to chicken pox but have not been subsequently vaccinated. There's never been an attempt to do large scale vaccination of adults, and such a programme would almost inevitably fail. Chicken Pox is serious, but not (in the views of the UK public health people) sufficiently serious to overturn the risk of fifty years of additional cases of shingles. Other countries think differently. The evidence is inconclusive. Call back in ten years' time.

mountainofdebt

Steve059 wrote: »

And why should they, when the triple vaccine is safe and quicker?

Well for whatever reason there are hundreds of people who are unvaccinated whether that be because of fear of the mmr or the appointment letter got put on the kitchen work top and got forgotten about.

Now if it was because of fear then surely allowing those parents to have the single vaccine and getting the child vaccinated would have been better than the current situation?

meritaten

securityguy wrote: »

The reason for not doing chicken pox vaccination is much more complex than that. If you could somehow start from scratch, it would definitely be worth doing: chicken pox can be absolutely devastating in pregnant women. Chicken Pox vaccine is offered to all NHS staff who aren't demonstrably immune.

But it's a trade off. Constant exposure to a low level of chicken pox in the environment acts as a booster to people who have already had chicken pox, and probably reduces the incidence of shingles. If you introduce large-scale vaccination, then you will probably see an elevated rate of shingles. Shingles is really serious.

Once it reached steady state in a couple of generations, mass chickenpox vaccination would be a thoroughly good idea: less chicken pox, less shingles. But you'd have fifty years of extra cases of shingles amongst adults who have been exposed to chicken pox but have not been subsequently vaccinated. There's never been an attempt to do large scale vaccination of adults, and such a programme would almost inevitably fail. Chicken Pox is serious, but not (in the views of the UK public health people) sufficiently serious to overturn the risk of fifty years of additional cases of shingles. Other countries think differently. The evidence is inconclusive. Call back in ten years' time.

I Know shingles is serious, - I've HAD shingles but not chicken pox. my son had chicken pox AND shingles. so if you can have one but not the other - and the other AND the one - would vaccination help or not? what a conundrum!
oh and btw - I got shingles when my brother and sister both contracted chicken pox! they were ill a few days and itched for a week or so - I was off work for six weeks and going mental with the pain and itching!

securityguy

meritaten wrote: »

I Know shingles is serious, - I've HAD shingles but not chicken pox.

It's possible to have chicken pox as a child in such a limited form that many children will barely notice it. When they're exposed later, perhaps when their own children have it, they might then be lucky with their immunity, or might get shingles.

motherofstudents

My 24 year old son was diagnosed this week with mumps. He has been in a lot of pain and feeling quite ill. I imagine that mumps and rubella will also be on the increase. He did have the mmr btw and the booster.

meritaten

motherofstudents wrote: »

My 24 year old son was diagnosed this week with mumps. He has been in a lot of pain and feeling quite ill. I imagine that mumps and rubella will also be on the increase. He did have the mmr btw and the booster.

sorry to hear that - I hope he gets better soon and has no lasting effects.

can I just reiterate - these illnesses do not ALWAYS cause complications! the complications are rare!

londonlydia

I had the first jab but not the booster because after the first jab I had a terrible reaction and was rushed to hospital, and the DRs advised my mother to not give me the booster. Nothing to do with autism fears.

At uni there was a mumps outbreak, and because I knew I hadnt had the booster I took extra precautions. I didnt get it, but lots of those who had the jab DID get it.

My whole worry with this media scaremongering is that vaccinations arent the 100% solution. People will have the jab and think that's it they're safe, when in fact vaccinations work on the principle that they will work for enough people that it doesnt spread. I'm not anti-vaccination, I've had all the others I've ever needed... but I wish that alongside all these fears they would promote good hygeine practices and inform people of the symptoms so that when people do get these illnesses they are appropriately quarantined early.