Current Outbreak of Measles 2025
Measles is a serious illness that can be unpleasant and lead to complications, especially in vulnerable, immuno-compromised or pregnant patients.
Measles is highly infectious to anyone who is not immune – being in the same room as someone with measles for more than 15 minutes is a significant exposure.
Measles symptoms can include:
● High fever
● Sore, red, watery eyes
● Coughing and/or runny nose
● Small red spots with bluish-white centres inside the mouth
● A red-brown blotchy rash, which appears after several days
Anyone phoning the surgery with any of these symptoms should be told not to come into the surgery or go into a walk-in centre or hospital A&E department where they could infect others.
Arrangements should be made for them to receive clinical advice by telephone. Anyone presenting in the surgery with any of the above symptoms (the rash may not be present in the initial stages) should be assessed and isolated away from the main waiting area if there is any suspicion they could have measles.
This sounds alarming but remember most people will be immune to measles – either because they have had two doses of MMR vaccination or generally healthy people born before 1970 are likely to have developed natural immunity. However, any immunocompromised patients, unvaccinated children, young people, adults, or pregnant women are vulnerable to infection.
