Britain defeated rubella for the first time, confirmed the European Health Commission, which checks the elimination of infectious diseases.
According to the definition of the World Health Organization, rubella can be eliminated when the endemic virus does not spread in the territory of a given country for at least 36 months.
The UK was close to meeting this requirement in the 90s, but controversy over the MMR vaccine has led to a decline in the number of children vaccinated.
However, UK healthcare statistics show that vaccination coverage among five-year-olds recently reached the recommended 95%.
The European Regional Commission for Verification of Elimination of Rubella and Measles confirmed that rubella was eliminated in the UK in 2016.
“We are delighted that the WHO has confirmed that the UK managed to eradicate rubella in 2016 and that this status remains,” said Dr. Mary Ramsay, director of immunization at Public Health England, an agency for the UK Ministry of Health.
Moreover, vaccination coverage for 95-year-olds with the first dose of the MMR vaccine reached XNUMX percent, the WHO target, he added.
“This great success is due to the hard work of our healthcare team to ensure that all children and adults are fully protected with two doses of the MMR vaccine.
‘We need to ensure that this status is maintained by increasing immunization coverage with MMR in children and supplementing missed doses in older children and adolescents.
The number of children immunized with the ternary MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella declined sharply in the late 90s when it was suggested that the vaccine caused autism. A controversial study by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield, who allegedly saw the link, was refuted and he was removed from the medical register.
By the time the vaccine scandal broke out, rubella was in retreat and Britain was on the verge of confirming complete eradication of the disease. Rumors that the vaccine is allegedly harmful have led to vaccination coverage dropping below 2015% in 85, however.
A few years ago in England there was a significant increase in the number of cases of rubella. In 2012, nearly two thousand cases were reported – the highest number since 1994. One in five patients required hospitalization, and in a few cases the disease caused serious complications, such as respiratory infections or meningitis.
As a result, in April 2013, the Ministry of Health, Public Health England and NHS England launched a joint campaign to promote booster vaccinations and encourage immunization of unvaccinated children for fear of the alleged harmfulness of MMR.
Rubella is a highly contagious childhood disease caused by the rubella virus. The disease is especially dangerous for pregnant women, young children and people with reduced immune reactivity.
The most common symptoms include high fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and, most importantly, a rash of small red-brown spots that fuse over time. The rash disappears within two to three days without leaving any traces, and in some people it is very itchy. Sore mouth wounds and loss of appetite can also occur.
The virus that causes the disease disappears from the body within 14 days. In rare cases, it can travel to the brain where it remains dormant for many years, sometimes even decades.
Despite the widespread availability of the vaccine, rubella is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality worldwide. In 2015, there were 134 deaths – that’s 79 percent. less than in 2000, when about 651 people died from rubella worldwide.
In 2016, about 85 percent. children under one year of age worldwide have received one dose of rubella vaccine. In 2000, vaccination coverage for this age group was 73 percent.