Measles - breakdown of "herd immunity"?

Darat

Lackey
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Darat
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Are we seeing the breakdown of "herd immunity" (think that's the right term) in the UK since the reduction in the vaccination rate for measles?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7259338.stm
Measles cases jump to record high

The number of measles cases in England and Wales jumped more than 30% last year to the highest level since records began in 1995.

...snip...

The HPA report said most reported cases of measles were associated with outbreaks in travelling and religious communities where vaccine uptake has been historically low.

...snip...
Click to expand...
 
In some places, yes.

By the way, I don't think "religious communities" is necessarily Moslems, here. My friend is a GP in Bradford, and many of her patients are Moslem. She says she has no trouble with antivax woo as most of her patients aren't into that scene at all, possibly they couldn't even read the propaganda (which is mostly in English), and they have a culture of doing what the doctor tells them.

Rolfe.
 
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From the news article:
"MMR immunisation rates dipped following research which raised the possibility that the jab may be linked to an increased risk of autism."

In a 1998 article published in The Lancet, the lead author, Andrew Wakefield, concluded that his research suggested such a connection, one associated with a novel form of bowel disease. A lot of people in the UK seem to have heard about that, because MMR uptake dipped, to around 80% at one point. The WHO estimates the herd immunity threshold for measles at around 95%.

Ten of Wakefield's twelve co-authors later published a retraction of that interpretation, the Lancet called the research "fatally flawed", and Wakefield faced an inquiry before the GMC on allegations of professional misconduct in conducting the research, including suppression and falsification of data. Not quite so many people seem to have heard about that. Vaccine uptake has risen slightly, to about 85% for 2006-7, but still well below anybody's estimate of the herd immunity threshold.
 
From The Questionable Authority:
A single person contracted an infectious disease in Switzerland sometime during the week before January 15th. Within 10 days, new cases of the disease had been identified in San DIego. Less than two weeks later, the disease was known to have spread to Honolulu. People exposed to the disease are known to have attended a performance of Cirque du Soleil and a major sporting event. This isn't a Tom Clancy novel or a Homeland Security exercise, and the illness in question isn't some obscure new infectious disease. It's measles.

If you're wondering how a disease for which there is a very safe and very effective vaccine managed to travel so far, so fast, it's very simple. Vaccines only work if they are actually administered. In Switzerland, there's no requirement that schoolchildren be vaccinated. In California, vaccination is "required" before children attend school, but parents are permitted to opt out of that "requirement" for religious or "personal" reasons.
Click to expand...
Much more at the above link, and well worth the read.
 
Inclined to agree. The North London chattering classes seem to be the ones most inclined to be antivax and pro homeopathy and other health woo.
 
What's sad is that thimerosal, which was the suspected agent for autism, is no longer used as a preservative for vaccinations for children. It is used for the adult flu shot, but that's all as far as I know (I'm allergic to thimerosal). Even though thimerosal has been removed, cases of autism are still on the rise. It doesn't help that people like Rosie O'Donnell refuse to get their children vaccinated because they believe there is a link to autism.
 
Dymanic said:
The MMR never had it to begin with.
Click to expand...

True, and that's part of what I think is worth bringing up in any overview of antivax as a general movement, rather than a specific technical claim.

The MMR concern "triple-jab" was based on the hypothesis that giving a small child three vaccines in one shot was 'overwhelming' the immune system during a critical stage of brain development, ultimately leading to autism.

The counter-suggestion was to spread this out into three seperate vaccination schedules.

This mechanism is different than the one proposed via thimerosal.

And equally unjustified.
 
While I think MMR is superior to separate vaccinations, surely it would be better to provide these for parents who demand them so the vaccination rate for these diseases can be maintained?

Doctors can still tell parents they think the MMR vaccination is the better option, but turning the issue into a power-play seems counterproductive to me.
 
Kids will come into contact with loads of different bugs everyday. Will three more overwhelm them?
Tony Blair did not help matters by neither admitting nor denying whether his kid had the triple vaccine.
There is a cost consideration to offering single vaccines at the GP, both in terms of time and cost of the vaccines. Also a big cost consideration in not having herd immunity.
It is a pity that newspapers that carry these scare stories can not be held to account. A few mothers, whose children have developed complications due to contacting measles, suing the Daily Mail could be a bad thing for irresponsible journalism.
 
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