NHS urges famillies to get MMR vaccinations
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh (Photo: Tom Freeman)
In light of the measles epidemic in Wales and the threat of imminent spread to the rest of Britain, NHS Lothian has highlighted the importance of MMR vaccinations. In a press release from the NHS, families are urged to ensure that they are protected from measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Gareth Colfer-Williams, 25, died on Thursday at his home in Swansea, the city at the centre of an epidemic of the disease. Further investigations are being undertaken by the Swansea coroner to establish the cause of death. However, the risk is still high for those who have not had the two MMR vaccinations.
NHS Lothian has admitted that a significant number of Lothian’s teenagers and young adults are considered at risk from measles, mumps and rubella, as they may not have completed or started the course of the vaccine as a child. NHS Lothian is now offering the MMR vaccine to teenagers in schools and through their GPs.
Professor Alison McCallum, the Director of Public Health and Health Policy at NHS Lothian, said:
“Measles, Mumps, and Rubella are preventable by two doses of the MMR vaccine and I would urge all parents to ensure that their children are fully protected from these three diseases. We are now offering the MMR vaccination as part of the school immunisation programme and hope more of our young people will take up the opportunity to protect themselves.”
She said it is now crucial that the course of the vaccine was finished, or in some cases, that young people began the course. Professor McCallum added: “We hope that parents and young people realise that it is never too late to be protected against these diseases.”
Measles is a very infectious virus that causes a fever, cough and rash but can also cause serious problems including blindness and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Mumps can also cause fever along with painful swollen glands in the face and neck and can result in permanent deafness. Rubella is a milder infection but if caught during pregnancy it can cause serious damage to the unborn child.
For an updated timeline on the MMR autism fraud story from journalist Brian Deer, go to: http://briandeer.com/solved/bmj-wakefield-timeline.htm
Media Mondays – Catriona Shearer – 04.02.2013
By: Lauren Elliott
Catriona Shearer, who studied at Napier 10 years ago, came back again to tell her life story and revisit tales of her experiences here.
She tells of how she climbed the ladder from being a student at Napier to working as a presenter for the BBC. We find out how she managed to get her work experience at BBC Radio5 Live and what work she does on a daily basis.
Catriona gives a very warm speech and provides plenty of inspiration and advice for student journalists who are just starting out. This talk is well worth a listen.
Listen Here:
4pm TV Bulletin
All the latest headlines at 4pm from Edinburgh Napier News.
Vinyl Lovers
Record Store Day took place this weekend, and saw musicians, artists and the record-buying public come together to celebrate the unique scene. Set up in 2007 it was established to promote independent music shops by selling exclusive vinyl recordings to fans.
Our reporter, Shiv Das, spoke to Avalanche Records, in Edinburgh, discussing how the weekend went.
Edinburgh is home to five independant record stores-
1.Avalanche, 5 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
http://www.avalancherecords.co.uk/
2. VoxBox, 21 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
http://voxboxmusic.co.uk/blog/
3. Elvis Shakespeare, 347 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
4.Underground Solushn, 9 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh
5.Vinyl Villains, 5 Elm Row, Edinburgh
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