TY - JOUR T1 - Measles: is it still a threat? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract DO - 10.3399/bjgp18X697961 SP - bjgp18X697961 AU - Maliha Moten AU - Amy Phillips AU - Vanessa Saliba AU - Nick Harding AU - Bharat Sibal Y1 - 2018/07/02 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/early/2018/07/05/bjgp18X697961.abstract N2 - GPs see many patients presenting with viral rash illnesses and may not think of measles when making diagnostic decisions. Measles is a highly infectious viral disease easily prevented by vaccination, yet it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that measles was eliminated in the UK, as there had been a ‘sustained interruption of endemic transmission for at least 36 months’ 1 and vaccine coverage for the first dose of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) in 5-year-olds had reached the WHO target of 95%.2 Despite this progress, measles remains a threat to the UK population. There have been several outbreaks across Europe in countries where MMR uptake has been low historically, including Romania, France, Greece, and Italy, with 48 measles deaths reported in the European Union since 2016. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of measles in England has increased. Between 1 January 2018 and 2 July 2018 there have been 738 measles cases in England, with several outbreaks across the country, mainly linked to importations from Europe.3,4 As a result, Public Health England (PHE) has declared a national measles incident.4–6In order to establish and maintain measles control, countries need to achieve 95% uptake with two doses of MMR vaccine in the routine childhood programme and to address any immunity gaps in older age cohorts through targeted supplementary vaccination programmes. In addition, prompt identification and notification of suspected cases and implementation of public health measures are required to control spread. GPs are on the NHS front line so it is vital that they are aware of measles guidance and case management. It has never been more timely to … ER -