Measles control in the United Kingdom

Abstract

In the United Kingdom measles vaccine is known to be highly effective, but only half of the children of eligible age are vaccinated. Many doctors are doubtful about the risks and benefits of measles vaccination. Although serious reactions are rare, convulsions occur in one per 1,000 children vaccinated in England, and malaise after vaccination is common. Insufficient effort seems to have been made to convince family doctors of the undoubted value of the vaccine. In the few areas where motivation is high, good vaccination rates have been achieved. The introduction of measles vaccination 14 years ago has markedly reduced disease incidence to approximately 75% of the preimmunization level. So far regular surveys have not suggested any tendency for the proportion of susceptible individuals among the older population to increase.