Measles Risks & Symptoms

Dear Parents/Carers,
We are seeing an increase in measles cases locally, and I’m asking for your support to help keep our school community safe. Unvaccinated children at our school are at risk from measles. Please see the below information provided to us by Haringey Public Health.

Measles spreads very easily and can make children and adults seriously unwell. Measles is more than just a rash, with 1 in 5 children with confirmed measles getting so ill they need to go to hospital.

The best protection is MMR/V vaccination. Two doses are required for life-long protection against measles. The first dose is given at 12 months of age and is 95% effective at preventing measles. The second dose is either given at 18 months or 3 years 4 months depending on when your child was born, and provides additional, life-long protection.

Please take a moment this week to:
Read the information about signs and symptoms of measles
by visiting www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/
Check your child’s vaccination record
you can do this by checking your child’s Red Book against the NHS routine childhood schedule by visiting
nhs.uk/childhoodvaccinations – www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them or by contacting your GP.
Book any missing MMR doses as soon as possible
available via your child’s GP or local catch-up clinics. You do not need to be registered with a GP to go to a catch-up clinic. Book catch-up clinics by visiting www.schoolvaccination.uk/catch-up-clinics/haringey

If your child develops symptoms such as high temperature, cough, runny nose, sore red eyes or a rash, please keep them at home, inform the school and contact your GP or NHS 111 for advice before attending any healthcare setting. This is to avoid spreading measles to others.