Measles
- Measles is a highly contagious, airborne infection caused by a morbillivirus of the paramyxovirus family.
- It infects, via the respiratory tract, nearly all susceptible people who come into contact with it. Once infected, the person develops lifelong immunity.
Measles Infection Prevention and Control Measures
Guidance for clinicians on the infection control measures required for managing patients with measles can be found in the Notifiable and High Consequence Infectious disease Operational and Cleaning SOP.
This contains information on how to use the PPE required for suspected or confirmed measles face to face assessments, alongside the cleaning process post patient review.
Useful Links
National-measles-guidelines-July-2024.pdf
Remedy.bnssg.icb.nhs.uk/measles
Measles-guidance-for-primary-community-care-emergency-departments-and-hospital/
Notification and testing in Out of Hours
Measles is a notifiable disease. If measles is suspected then the local Heath Protection Team (HPT) should be contacted by phone (0300 303 8162 option 1) immediately. Please avoid using online forms for contacting HPT during the Out of Hours period. It is advised that testing for measles should be carried out at the initial point of contact with any patient presenting with symptoms. Viral swabs are available at all of our bases for this purpose. For further information please visit the remedy page.
MMR / MMRV vaccines
Current guidance recommends administering the MMR/MMRV vaccine within 72 hours of exposure for unvaccinated contacts. There is evidence that vaccination within this timeframe may reduce the risk of developing measles or lessen the severity of infection. Vaccination given after 72 hours will still provide protection against future measles exposure.
Therefore, if UKHSA contacts us regarding a patient who requires MMR/MMRV vaccination and the patient's GP practice is open and able to provide vaccination within the 72-hour window, please direct the patient to their GP practice.