Measles outbreak - are we doomed?

Measles outbreak in Wales the worst in more than a decade

It seems that we have reason to be afraid, measles is sweeping across Wales and threatening death and brain damage to thousands of children ........ or so the authorities would have us believe.

We have had letters, leaflets through the door, exhortations that we must urgently submit our children to be 'protected' by a jab of the MMR vaccine.

Now let's look at the figures - Llanelli is supposed to be one of the major centres of this outbreak, with a population in the region of 60 to 70 thousand people I reckoned that there must be hundreds of cases in the town .... the figures I have found say 6 !! Yes, that is 6 confirmed cases with another 19 probable and 18 suspected.

Let us be generous say that all 43 cases are actually cases of measles, that is less than 0.066% of the local population infected! I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like much of an epidemic to me.

What is puzzling me is the response of the authorities, four children attending a nursery in Burry Port have been treated in hospital but the nursery is following guidelines and staying open, this doesn't square with advice offered in other cases of infectious diseases where the recommendations have been to isolate and avoid known hotspots, this suggests that either measles is not as contagious as they say or they actually want it to spread! Why else would you want parents to continue to send their children to a location known to have been involved in cases of a contagious disease?

The National Public Health Service (NPHS) claim that ".. the only way this will stop is for people to come forward for the MMR vaccine".

I don't want to get embroiled in the debate over whether the MMR is safe or not but why aren't they prepared to offer the single vaccine as a means to spread the immunity? there is no mention of mumps or rubella outbreaks so why not recognise the unease people feel over the MMR and offer a more acceptable vaccine?

What is it that makes them so keen to get the MMR into their target of 95% of the population? Is it just money making for the MMR manufacturers or is there something more sinister? Why can't we choose the single vaccine? Surely, if there is an option which will increase the rate of vaccine take up during an 'outbreak' shouldn't it be offered?

I don't have all the answers, but something doesn't add up here!