Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this.

After the bombing of Yemen, this was the top story at 6pm on BBC News.

The focus was on the West Midlands after describing a surge in cases across Europe and attributing this to a fall in vaccination rates.

No Scottish data were presented and Reporting Scotland at 6.30pm clearly felt no need to inform let alone reassure.

Typically in the West Midlands, they’d see no cases but in the last month they’ve had 50! Globally infections, according to the WHO had gone up from less than 1 000 to 30 000.

Measles is deadly.

This was covered here last November:

https://www.itv.com/watch/news/doctors-warn-of-dangerous-impact-of-measles-as-cases-spike-and-vaccine-uptake-slumps/r4km6k3

In Scotland, there were no cases of measles reported in the first quarter of 2023. In 2022, there was one case of measles reported which was imported from outwith the UK and was the first case reported in Scotland since 2019.

In Scotland, 93.9% of children had the first dose of MMR vaccine by 24 months of age. This rose to 95.9% for children who had reached age 5.

In England this year every region has reported an infection which does coincide with a record low uptake of the MMR jab The vaccination rate is way below the WHO recommendation and that could see a measles outbreak which could lead to serious complications (including death) especially among the young.

In Leicester only 79.2% have been vaccinated, on a par with Pakistan and Namibia. The average for England is 84.5%, well below the WHO recommended figure of 95%

Globally 136 000 died from measles in 2022.

Around 12 000 vehicles cross into Scotland every day from England.

Now some will disapprove of this comparison but imagine the coverage were it the other way round and after 16 years, the SNP had failed in this way.

Sources:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/immunisation-and-vaccine-preventable-diseases-quarterly-report/immunisation-and-vaccine-preventable-diseases-quarterly-report-january-to-march-2023-q1/main-points/#:~:text=Measles%2C%20mumps%20and%20rubella&text=In%202022%2C%20there%20was%20one,first%20quarter%20of%20the%20year.

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland-quarter-ending-30-june-2023/

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p1116-global-measles.html#:~:text=This%20takes%20the%20estimated%20number,relentlessly%20increasing%20threat%20to%20children.

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/thousands-cross-scots-border-daily-18399280