Glenridding Health Centre

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Measles is on the rise!

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Please make sure you and your family have had two doses of the MMR vaccine

Measles is a preventable disease – vaccination is very effective and will protect your loved ones.

Vaccination with TWO doses of MMR is the only way to give people maximum and lifelong protection. MMR is part of the NHS routine childhood vaccine schedule, and protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Mumps can also cause serious illness, and rubella can damage unborn babies.

  • 1st dose should be given just after the child’s first birthday
  • 2nd dose at 3 years 4 months and certainly before children start school full time
  • However, it is never too late – you can have the MMR vaccine at any age. MMR can be given to older children, teenagers and adults if they missed their injections when they were younger.
  • The MMR vaccine is safe, effective, and free of charge
  • For people who do not touch any pork products, there is a version of the MMR vaccine, Priorix, which has no pork ingredients. You can request Priorix from your GP.

If anyone in your family is not up to date with their MMR, contact your GP surgery to arrange vaccination as soon as possible.

  • You can make an appointment with your GP to get up to date with MMR vaccines
  • This is especially important when measles is spreading in the region and other parts of the country – as it is now
  • If you are not sure if your child needs an MMR vaccine, you can:
    • check your child’s Red Book
    • look at the NHS app
    • contact the GP to check
  • People should also make sure they are up to date with their MMR vaccines before going to large gatherings and festivals and abroad on holiday, and before older children start college or university.

What to do if you think you or your child has measles

  • Contact your GP by phone for advice.
  • Please do not just turn up to your GP, walk-in centre, or any other healthcare setting without calling ahead, as measles is very infectious – the doctor will make special arrangements to see your child so that, if they have measles, they won’t pass it to others.
  • People remain infectious until at least 4 days after the onset of the rash – so they should stay off nursery/ school/ university/ work/ group activities until then.

For more information