Measles

Keith Nockels – Library and Learning Services, University of Leicester

Measles

The media is reporting a rise in measles cases in the UK, and the UK Health Security Agency has declared a national incident. As a result, there is a campaign to promote vaccination, levels of which have fallen. Here, in case they are helpful, are some resources about measles and about MMR.

If you have access there is material in BMJ Best Practice, DynaMed and UpToDate.

If you have access, there is material about MMR in the BNF and information about measles in Clinical Knowledge Summaries. A general internet search finds both.

NHS

Healthier Together

This is a venture involving the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and local
Integrated Care Boards. The one local to where I live has measles information at
https://sybhealthiertogether.nhs.uk/parentscarers/worried-your-child-unwell/measles.
Your local area may have a Healthier Together site as well.

Some localities seem instead to have a presence in Health for Under 5s, https://healthforunder5s.co.uk, so check there too. Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland
have a presence there, but just with information about MMR, rather than about measles
itself.

England

NHS England

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/. Information about measles.

NHS England vaccination campaign

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/01/nhs-launches-catch-up-campaign-for-missed-mmr-vaccines

Guidance for risk assessment and infection prevention and control measures for measles in healthcare settings

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/guidance-for-risk-assessment-and-infection-prevention-and-control-measures-for-measles-in-healthcare-settings/. Dated January 2024

Scotland

NHS Inform

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/measles. Information about measles

https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/vaccines/mmr-vaccine Information about the MMR vaccination – there is information in other languages, including in British Sign Language, at:

https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/vaccines/mmr-vaccine#other_languages_and_formats, where there is also English language information in large print, audio and easy read.

Wales

NHS 111 Wales / GIG 111

https://111.wales.nhs.uk/Measles/?locale=en&term=A (in English)
https://111.wales.nhs.uk/Measles/?locale=cy&term=A (yn Gymraeg)

UK Health Security Agency

Despite the name of the agency, some at least of the material below relates to England
only!

Press release – this mentions the declaration of a health incidence
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/measles-outbreak-could-spread-warns-ukhsa-chief-executive
National measles guidelines
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-measles-guidelines
Statistics for England
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/confirmed-
cases-of-measles-in-england-by-month-age-and-region-2023
Advice on MMR vaccination in pregnancy
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaccine-in-pregnancy-advice-for-pregnant-women/mmr-measles-mumps-rubella-vaccine-advice-for-pregnant-women

Other government agencies

Department of Education (England) Education Hub
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/22/what-to-do-if-you-think-your-child-has-
measles-and-when-to-keep-them-off-school/
Advice for parents, including advice on when to keep children off school.
NI Direct
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/measles, translations using Google Translate
available via https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/translation-help
Public Health Wales / Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru
https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/measles/ (in English)
https://icc.gig.cymru/pynciau/y-frech-goch/ (yn Gymraeg)

Health agencies outside the UK

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (USA)
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC, European Union)
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/measles
World Health Organization Factsheet
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles

Images

NHS England https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/, the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html and DermNetNZ https://dermnetnz.org/topics/measles-images have images.
Mind the Gap, https://www.blackandbrownskin.co.uk/mindthegap, has an image of
measles in skin of colour. There is another on the Black and Brown Skin website which hosts Mind the Gap, https://www.blackandbrownskin.co.uk/lower-limb/measels The URL does indeed say measels, but a site search for measles does find it. Skinsight has information about measles, with images and you can select just images of skin of colour, https://skinsight.com/skin-conditions/rubeola-measles/ Skinsight is maintained by Visual DX.

Suggestions for future topics welcome. Please contact me:

Keith Nockels, Academic Librarian (Medicine, Clinical Sciences and Healthcare), University of Leicester, UK

Email: khn5@le.ac.uk
Tel. (via Teams): +44 (0)116 229 7446