Inside health: Shot in the arm for fight against measles

Published on Wednesday 17 December 2008 21:53

A KEY milestone was reached this week in the ongoing fight against infectious disease in Scotland.

Figures have shown that the number of five-year-olds receiving the MMR vaccine has exceeded the target level of 95 per cent for the first time.

It is believed this rate of vaccination is best for creating the highest level of immunity in populations. And, after a rise in the number of cases of measles this year, the news could not have come at a better time.

Despite Scotland having MMR vaccination rates higher than in many parts of England, the number of cases rose significantly this year.

Figures from Health Protection Scotland reveal 53 confirmed cases of measles in 2008 – compared with only four at the same time last year.

A public health source said that, while this rise in measles was a concern, she believed it was confined to a small area with a cluster of linked cases.

"Uptake of the MMR vaccine is high in Scotland and has now passed the target level.

"But even with this, there will be clusters of cases and outbreaks among those who do not have a high level of immunity," she said.

This year has also seen an increase in the number of cases of whooping cough, with lab-confirmed cases up from 51 last year to 85 so far in 2008.

The insider said that uptake of whooping cough jab was also high, making the rise in cases harder to explain. "It is a bit early to say if this rise is part of a longer-term trend, and we are keeping a close eye on it," she said.

But there has been good news, too. The number of cases of mumps has fallen dramatically – from 1,183 in 2007 to 159 this year.

Experts believe last year's high number of mumps cases was down to group of young people who were too old to receive the MMR jab reaching the age where they went to university and were exposed to the infection in large social settings.

Meanwhile, figures from Health Protection Scotland show cases of flu are now starting to creep up after a slow start to the winter flu season.

There were 33 GP consultations for flu-like illnesses per 100,000 of the population last week, up from 20 the week before.

However, this is still much lower than the 50 to 600 cases per 100,000 which are thought to constitute a normal flu season.