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Public Health officials are seeking to maintain Jersey’s high take-up of a key childhood vaccine in the wake of a confirmed case of measles on the island.
The island's first measles case in eight years has prompted an appeal for islanders to ensure they are up to date on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
A catch-up vaccination clinic will take place on Saturday at the General Hospital between 09:30 and 13:00.
Islanders can book appointments by calling the Immunisations Team on 443471.
The clinic is open to anyone, child or adult, who has missed their first or second MMR dose as part of the standard childhood vaccination programme.
Before the new measles case was reported this week, Jersey had been free of the highly contagious disease since 2016.
Other jurisdictions with lower levels of vaccination coverage have reported measles outbreaks, with 2,149 cases reported in England over the first seven months of this year, compared with 362 across the whole of 2023.
Earlier this week, Public Health Deputy Director Grace Norman said: “A single case of measles has been confirmed in Jersey. The individual is recovering well at home and all necessary precautions are taking place, including contact tracing.
“Measles is preventable by vaccination and once fully immune you cannot catch, carry or pass on the illness “Jersey has good MMR vaccination rates which makes this a rare occurrence and reduces the chances of the disease spreading.”
Ms Norman said Jersey’s uptake of the MMR vaccination was above 95%, and that it was in parts of England where coverage was significantly below this level that a high proportion of the positive cases had been seen, notably parts of London and the West Midlands.
She added: “The best way for people to protect themselves and their children is through the MMR vaccination, which is highly effective and safe, so we encourage islanders to make sure that they and their children are vaccinated.
“It is particularly important to make sure that everyone is up to date with their vaccination schedule before travelling abroad given the higher number of cases of measles in other countries.”
The vaccination reminder is particularly focused on children and younger adults, with more than 90% of cases in England this year involving people aged under 35.
Ms Norman explained it was likely that those born before 1970 would have developed natural immunity during childhood as a result of the high levels of the disease at that time.
Although the MMR vaccine is typically aimed at young children, with two doses given around a child’s first birthday and after they have reached the age of three of one, the jab can be administered to older children and adults if they missed out on the pre-school vaccination.
cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, and a cough
sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light
a high temperature (fever)
a red-brown blotchy rash will appear after a few days. This usually starts on the head or upper neck.
Anyone not sure if they or their child have received their vaccine can check by contacting their GP surgery or the Childhood Immunisation Team on 01534 443741.
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