Many schoolchildren without vaccine protection against measles

Measles: Only two states achieve recommended vaccination rates

09/11/2014

Not only many adults, but also almost eight percent of new schoolchildren in Germany have no protection against measles. The vaccination quota, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), was reached in 2012 by only two states.

Nearly eight percent of first-graders are not vaccinated enough
It has recently been reported that many adults in Germany do not have adequate measles vaccine protection. According to experts, in this country too few children are completely vaccinated against the infectious disease. Although in the national average 92.4 percent of new schoolchildren, each with two vaccinations completely protected against measles, as the Techniker-Krankenkasse (TK) citing new numbers of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced. But that is not enough, she writes „world“. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the vaccination rate among children must be at least 95 percent - and that over several years - in order to eradicate the dangerous disease in one country.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg reach quota
According to figures released at the end of October, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the highest vaccination rate among ABC shooters at 95.8 percent. Otherwise, the required quota of 95 percent in the study year 2012 only reached Brandenburg. At the bottom, Hamburg, Bavaria, Berlin, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Saxony were all below the national average, the latter two even with quotas below 90 percent. As the „world“ writes, the health insurance emphasizes that the measles are not a harmless childhood disease.

Four-year-old girl will die from measles
As often described by experts, measles disease usually causes fever, conjunctivitis, and cold and cough, in addition to the typical red patches of skin. Frequently, the immune system is weakened for weeks and thereby the disease can also lead to complications such as otitis media or diarrhea. Even life-threatening or even fatal complications such as lung or brain inflammation may occur in some cases. This shows also the current case of the small Aliana from Hessen: The four-year-old will die of measles.

One of the most contagious diseases ever
In 2013, the RKI registered around 1,770 measles cases nationwide. With about 22 cases per million inhabitants, this is much more than the WHO is aiming for. Although critics of the measles vaccine repeatedly refer to possible side effects, such as fever, fatigue, headache, redness, pain and swelling at the injection site, is recommended by the vast majority of professionals for vaccination. For example, the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), which calls on adolescents and young adults to check their vaccination against measles. The health authority said measles was one of the most contagious diseases.

Protection for yourself and others
„The vaccine not only protects you from contagion, but also protects you from being vaccinated for health reasons or because you are too young“, according to the director Elisabeth Pott „world“. The BZgA wants with the nationwide campaign „Germany is looking for the vaccination certificate“ to draw attention to the prevention. The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) recommends two vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR vaccine) for children from the age of eleven months until the end of the second year of life. In addition, the health center advises those who were born after 1970 to have a vaccine if they were vaccinated only once in childhood or their vaccine protection is unclear. „When many are vaccinated, outbreaks can be prevented, for example, in kindergartens, schools, uni, at work or at major events“, so pot. (Ad)

Picture: Paulwip