Nurseries across England are implementing infection control measures reminiscent of the Covid pandemic as measles cases surge past 500 so far this year.
The outbreak has prompted swift action after a child died at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool last week.
Currently, early years settings are deploying strict protocols, including isolation procedures and enhanced cleaning regimes, to contain the highly infectious disease.
The measures come as vaccine uptake remains concerningly low in some areas, with Liverpool recording just 73 per cent coverage compared to 84 per cent nationally. For reference, the World Health Organisation declared 95 per cent to be the point at which herd immunity is achieved.
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|Nurseries are drawing on their pandemic experience to manage outbreaks
Now, the Early Years Alliance confirms nurseries are drawing on pandemic experience to manage outbreaks, with staff using personal protective equipment and implementing separation strategies for different age groups to limit transmission among vulnerable children.
Specific measures include dividing walking and non-walking babies to reduce infection spread, with one South East London nursery reporting it had returned to "Covid levels of cleaning" after four confirmed cases.
"They're using all those good hygiene practices, staff have got PPE, they've got aprons, gloves, some settings still keep masks," Melanie Pilcher of the Early Years Alliance told The Guardian. "They're doing everything they can, while obviously not scaring the children either."
Nurseries cannot legally refuse unvaccinated children despite some providers asking about this option. "They can't, and it wouldn't be right to turn children away because it is a parental choice at the end of the day, and we have to respect that," the early years expert explained.
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Adam Rowles, whose two-year-old daughter attends the affected South East London nursery, expressed deep concern about his six-month-old son starting there before he can receive his first measles vaccination at 12 months.
"It's alarming, isn't it? Because it's something that you think has been eradicated, and we don't have to worry about any more, but then all of a sudden, here we are. It's just baffling," Rowles said.
Despite requesting to delay his son's nursery place until after vaccination, he was told this would forfeit the placement entirely. Yet, the nursery's enhanced protocols provided limited reassurance.
Rowles further explained that he and his family still don't feel "fully at ease" and are "basically just going to have to hope for the best".
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|Measles is highly contagious
Warning that measles is highly contagious, Dr Chris Bird, who is a paediatric emergency medicine consultant at Birmingham Children's Hospital, explained that the disease is "10 times more infectious than flu or Covid" and can spread after just 15 minutes in a waiting room.
"That's a huge number, and a lot of my colleagues had never seen measles before. We had almost eradication status in the UK just before Covid," he said, referring to approximately 450 cases treated last year.
As a result, professionals advise that if you suspect you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms, it is best to call your GP surgery ahead of an appointment rather than increase the risk of further spread by attending in person.