‘Don’t be taken in by anti-vaccine myths on social media’
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Children who missed an earlier MMR vaccination can have a “catch-up” jab
People who imagine the myths unfold by anti-vaccine campaigners “are absolutely wrong”, England’s high physician has mentioned.
Prof Dame Sally Davies mentioned the MMR vaccine was protected and had been given to tens of millions of kids worldwide however uptake was at the moment “not good enough”.
In England, 87% of kids obtain two doses however the goal is 95%.
The chief medical officer urged mother and father to get their kids vaccinated and ignore “social media fake news”.
Her feedback come on the 30th anniversary of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine being launched in the UK.
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Damaging beliefs
She mentioned myths peddled in regards to the risks of vaccines on social media was one cause mother and father weren’t taking their kids to get the MMR vaccine.
“A number of people, stars, believe these myths – they are wrong,” she mentioned.
“Over these 30 years, we have now vaccinated tens of millions of kids.
“It is a protected vaccination – we all know that – and we have saved tens of millions of lives internationally.
“People who spread these myths, when children die they will not be there to pick up the pieces or the blame.”
Prof Dame Sally Davies mentioned folks mustn’t be taken in by vaccine myths on social media
The MMR vaccine has dramatically lowered circumstances of measles, mumps and rubella and saved about 4,000 deaths from measles, ensuing in the UK being declared “measles free” by the World Health Organization final 12 months.
This means the illness is now not native to the UK, though circumstances do nonetheless happen.
However, Dame Sally mentioned there had been too many circumstances of measles in England this 12 months – 903 up to now, and younger individuals who had missed out on the MMR vaccine had been notably affected.
Uptake of the MMR vaccine had reached stage in earlier years however has now dropped again to 87%.
“That means a lot of protection but it doesn’t give us herd immunity,” Dame Sally mentioned.
“So when people from abroad have been coming in, travelling infected, it is spreading into our local communities.”
Catch-up jabs
The MMR vaccine is given on the NHS as a single injection to infants, normally inside a month of their first birthday.
They then have a second injection earlier than beginning college, when three years previous.
Children who missed an earlier MMR vaccination can have a “catch-up” jab on the NHS.
Single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines can be found however not on the NHS in the UK.
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Two doses of the MMR vaccine are given to kids earlier than they start college in the UK
In 1998, a research by former physician Andrew Wakefield incorrectly linked the MMR vaccine to autism. The analysis is now utterly discredited.
But it had an influence on the protection of the vaccine, which dropped to about 80% in the late 1990s and a low of 79% in 2003.
Numerous public health campaigns have elevated uptake in the years since.
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