Public Health Wales is urging parents to ensure their children have received two doses of the MMR vaccine as it investigates an outbreak of measles linked to a Neath nursery school.
Two children attending the Miles of Smiles nursery school have been confirmed as having measles, and five other children are being tested for the infection.
While vaccination uptake at the nursery is good, some children are at risk as they are too young to have received one or both doses of the vaccine.
A vaccination session is planned at the nursery on Friday (15 August) to bring forward the first dose of MMR for children who would normally receive it at 12 months of age, and the second dose for children who would normally receive it at three years and four months of age.
Parents who are unable to attend the session on Friday are being asked to make an urgent appointment with their GP.
Dr Jörg Hoffmann, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales, said: “While two cases of measles may not sound a lot, we have five other children with symptoms, all attending a nursery school where there are children who are too young to be fully vaccinated and could easily catch and spread measles.
“We are writing to all parents with children at the nursery to ask them to attend Friday’s vaccination session, but are also warning parents in the Neath area to be aware of the risk of measles and to make sure their children are fully vaccinated.
“The only way to prevent large outbreaks of measles is through vaccination and I urge parents whose children have not received two doses of MMR to ensure that they speak to their GP immediately to arrange this quick, safe and effective vaccine.”
