Lack of vaccine protection in measles with consequences

Vaccination despite gaps progressively

05/24/2014

The vaccination of children in Lower Saxony and Bremen is still incomplete despite considerable progress. Although more than nine out of ten children would now receive the recommended vaccinations until enrollment, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), measles often does not do so in time and to the extent necessary to overcome the disease. From the experts' point of view, the vaccination rates for standard vaccines for children against the infectious diseases measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis B need to be further improved.

Vaccination target of 95 percent
In 2012, almost 93 percent of the Lower-Saxony first-graders had complete protection against measles. This is evident from the data of the RKI evaluated by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). In 2006, the rate was just under 82 percent. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set a vaccination target of 95 percent to defeat the measles. Parents are recommended by the fund to ensure timely and complete vaccination coverage. But even in older people there are Impflücken, since there was no vaccination recommendation in her childhood.

Many adults get measles
Lower Saxony's Health Minister Cornelia Rundt (SPD) said according to a message from the news agency dpa: „We strongly recommend being vaccinated against measles, it is a highly contagious disease - but it remains in the parents' decision to vaccinate.“ In 2013, 39 percent of measles sufferers were over 20 years old, the TK said. And about nine percent were even 40 years or older. In adults, measles were often recognized late, as they are still often considered a childhood disease. „The outbreak last year was more likely to affect young adults, so everyone should be vaccinated from birth year 1970“, said the minister. It is important that parents who go to their children for examinations also check once again if they are sufficiently vaccinated themselves.

Measles with serious complications
Especially for adults, the complications could be serious. At the beginning of the disease it comes in addition to the typical red patches of skin usually headache, fever, conjunctivitis, as well as cold and cough. Sometimes, additional side effects such as otitis media, diarrhea, pneumonia or even encephalitis occur. As the infection protection officer of the Ministry, Fabian Feil announced, was a reason for a lack of vaccine protection, for example, that children fell ill on the scheduled date and the vaccine will then forget. In addition, there are parents who are critical of vaccinations. However, these are in the minority, as a survey carried out in 2011 on behalf of the Federal Center for Health Education revealed. According to this, 64 percent of parents had no reservations about vaccination, 35 percent were skeptical and only one percent were vaccine opponents. You can now get vaccinated in Germany with a quadruple vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. (Ad)