Concern grows about the Birmingham Measles outbreak
Concern grows about the Birmingham Measles outbreak
Plus: What's with all the barber shops?
Good evening readers — welcome to your Monday briefing, which leads on the alarming outbreak of Measles in Birmingham. The story has been all over the national press in recent days and we’ve pulled together the latest info and some insights into what is driving the outbreak below. As usual on a Monday, we also have a dazzling variety of recommendations, reading tips, and news updates for you in this edition. Please do share the email with a friend if you think they might find it useful (they can sign up here).
First off, our ears have been burning, and for good reason! Friday’s edition of the Media Podcast with Matt Deegan covered the boom in local newsletters. Journalist Rob Smith looked at several examples across the country, including us. He said:
The Birmingham Dispatch has already got quite a few subscribers, whether it be free or paid, and one of the things that they’ve identified is the need for strong local journalism. It’s about getting to the heart of what the community, in this case Birmingham, really wants to know and talk about. And that’s resulted in a really great operation that’s only a couple of months old, but drops into your inbox with some great stories. I think things like this showcase that A, there is a want and need for this kind of journalism, and B, that it can be done in a sustainable way that can be picked up whether you're 14, 40, or 80. And it gives me real hope for the future that these stories won’t be lost.
Are there any 14 year olds in the house? Please make yourself known to Kate so that we can publicise your incredible precociousness and great taste. What a thought: The Dispatch stealing market share from TikTok among the teen demographic.
If you haven’t already, whet your appetite with our weekend read: a chat between one Brummie legend and another: Kirsty Bosley visited Michelin Star restaurateur Andreas Antona at Simpsons (The Godfather of Birmingham’s food scene, no less) to discuss his career and the future of Brummie gastronomy.
Finally, our Dispatch community is growing at a lightning pace and we are well on track to meet our goal of 300 subscribers by the end of January. We’ve shot up from 268 on Friday to 282 members today. Thank you and welcome to everyone who has joined us! If you are yet to do so, please go ahead and press the green button. By doing so you will be getting access to our members-only stories, gaining entry to our comments sections and events and — perhaps most importantly — helping us to prove that the great people of the West Midlands really do want high quality journalism and are willing to pay for it. This venture is very much a leap of faith that people want something different: an outlet that truly reflects the stories of this region without sensationalism and without dumbing down. Help us to prove that by joining up.
Weather
🍃 Tuesday: Windy and damp with overcast skies. Max 12°C.
☀️ Wednesday: Brighter and a little less windy. Max 10°C.
☔ Thursday: Back to windy with showers of rain. Max 11°C
🌥️ Friday: Drier with sunny spells. Max 11°C.
🌂 Weekend: Patches of rain with dry and bright spells. Max 9°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: Concern grows about the Birmingham Measles outbreak
Top line: The fight is on to increase measles vaccine uptake, with Birmingham at the centre of the worst outbreak since the 1990s. Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips has called for those who spread misinformation about vaccines to be “held to account”.
The data: The Times reports that there have been 216 confirmed and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands since October, 80% of which have been in Birmingham. The majority are children aged under 10 years.
To give some context, there were only 735 cases across England and Wales in 2022 and 1,603 last year.
That means Birmingham has had substantially more cases over the past few months than you would expect, given the national figures.
The national picture: There have also been confirmed cases in London, Wales, Yorkshire, and Leicester and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has declared it a national incident. A nationwide campaign encouraging parents and carers to get their children vaccinated has been launched.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, visited Birmingham on Friday to see how health workers are containing the outbreak.
Dr Chris Bird, an A and E consultant at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, told Radio 4 this morning he has been seeing a “pretty extraordinary” 5 to 7 cases a day. The outbreak was not unexpected, however. He said:
Over the last few years quite a few of us have seen this coming. A routine question we ask when taking a medical history is ‘has your child been immunised?’ And you hear more and more, sadly, that families have decided not to do that.
These fears were also predicted in a UKHSA risk assessment published in July last year, which warned of the potential for such outbreaks.
Highly contagious: Measles is ten times more infectious than Covid-19 and can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, meningitis and in some cases death. Before vaccination programmes began, about 100 children a year died from measles in the UK, and 2.6 million globally.
Inequality: As with our ghost patients report last week, deprivation is a key factor in vaccine uptake levels. Dr Bird revealed that over two thirds of Birmingham families not getting vaccinated are amongst the most deprived.
Vaccine dropoff: Analysis by think tank the Nuffield Health Trust shows the number of children getting their MMR vaccine by their second birthday has been declining nationally since 2013-14, when it was 92.7%. Today it is down to about 85%. In Birmingham the rate is lower still, at 82%, and in general, larger cities seem to have lower uptake. The graph below shows the change in MMR vaccine coverage in England over time:
Autism controversy: In 1998, a now-discredited article in The Lancet linked MMR vaccinations with autism. Uptake of the vaccine decreased significantly with only 80% of children receiving it in 2003-4. The article was fully retracted in 2010 after which uptake improved, however, the stigma hasn’t disappeared everywhere.
Misinformation: The Times recently reported that Somali communities in various parts of the world are experiencing high rates of autism diagnosis, and low levels of vaccinations although there isn’t a clear explanation why.
Birmingham Somali community leader Nimo Hirsi told The Times: “The number of autistic children within the Somali community is going up. People say it is because of the MMR vaccine. And if I’m being honest, what is the alternative explanation?”
WhatsApp info: Health workers say there is a communication issue. Joy Krishnamoorthy of Birmingham health group Flourish told The Times the Somali community has an oral tradition, so they are examining how to spread information in this way. One method they are considering is making health information videos in different community languages and sharing them via WhatsApp.
Jess Philips, MP for Yardley, told BBC Politics Midlands that people spreading fake news, including vaccine misinformation, should be held to account. She also said a TikTok campaign was needed to encourage people to go and get their children vaccinated against MMR.
Bottom line: The World Health Organisation says a vaccine coverage of 95% is needed to protect populations from the spread of measles and Birmingham is currently well below that rate. Last year’s efforts by the NHS saw a rise in MMR vaccine uptake of 10% so it is likely this year’s campaign will have a similar effect. But the spread in Birmingham is a major cause for concern, and we will be tracking the data in the days ahead.
Photo of the week
This mesmerising photo of the sunset at Dudley castle was taken by Jace Kelly.
Brum in Brief
🚨 17-year-old Muhammad Hassam Ali was stabbed to death in Victoria Square on Saturday in what the police say “appears to be a case of mistaken identity”. Detectives are still investigating the possible motive and have called for anyone who may have been in the area just before 3.30pm to come forward with information.
⚖️ BirminghamLive’s Jane Haynes has written a useful thread ahead of the city council’s cost cutting budget next month. The newspaper is demanding an inquiry into the failures which led to the financial crisis and for the officers and politicians responsible to be held to account. Haynes writes: “Many qs remain unresolved, and there's vagueness still around the extent of the crisis and truth of impact of Oracle failure, equal pay and rising demand for help.”
🍉 The largest protest for Palestine in Birmingham so far took place on Saturday, featuring speeches by Jeremy Corbyn, Claire Short, and a performance by the rapper Lowkey. Attendees continued calls for a ceasefire in the conflict in which 25,000 Palestinians have been killed. Chants of “shame on you” were directed at Birmingham MPs who did not vote for a ceasefire.
🍛 Colmore Business District is planning its 11th Colmore Food Festival and wants to hear what you would like to see included. The free event attracts 30,000 visitors a year and showcases a variety of food and drink from the city centre locale, including plenty of samples to entice you. You can give your views here.
Home of the week
This homely-looking two bedroom home is right by the Oaklands Recreation Ground in Yardley. It’s available for £200,000.
Media picks
📰 The Centre for Cities think tank has released a new report showing that people in the West Midlands are £4,320 poorer on average than we were in 2010. Their analysis shows that while there are more jobs today, weak productivity growth has weakened the growth of disposable income. They say that if it had grown in line with 1998-2010 trends, we’d be £2680 better off (which would be pretty handy). Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, believes this year’s general election will have ”growth at its heart”.
📰 It seems like Turkish barber salons are everywhere these days and recent migrant to the UK, Snigdha Poonam, wanted to know why. His long read for the Financial Times opens in Sedgley and continues with a history of the evolution of UK barber shops from the 1950s onwards. He writes: “One day, while getting a measure of the Midlands, I landed on an article from 2022 about Sedgley. It painted a picture of a town of about 12,000 people where there were so many barber shops — 21 at the time — that some owners were calling for council regulation to limit newer licences.”
🎧 The BBC’s Briefing Room podcast is a local government special that looks at the crises facing councils up and down the country. Unsurprisingly, Birmingham City Council is featured. The episode speaks with three experts plus Paul Lynch, a journalist based in Birmingham at the BBC’s Shared Data Unit, to understand the financial pressures facing councils. It’s well worth your time.
Things to do
Tuesday:
🪘 Ukrainian ‘ethnic chaos band’ DakhaBrakha will play the Town Hall at 8pm, incorporating folk traditions from their own country and around the world. Tickets £28.50.
🎭 Travel back in time to 1970’s suburbia for the opening of Mike Leigh’s modern classic play Abigail’s Party at Highbury Theatre in Sutton Coldfield at 7.30pm. Tickets £14.
Wednesday:
⚖️ If you’ve ever thought of a career as a lawyer but didn’t know where to start, this evening at Central St Michael’s Sixth Form West Bromwich will give you an insight into which qualiftications you need and what the job is really like. 5.30pm.
📖 Author and Dispatch contributor Charlie Hill will be discussing his new short fiction collection Encounters With Everyday Madness at Voce Books at 7pm.
Thursday:
💄 Ticket sales for the NARS makeup masterclass at 5.30pm at Manahatta on Temple Street end soon. The price includes industry tips and tricks, a two-course meal, a drink, and a luxury gift bag. £55.
🎤 Closeup Comedy returns to Hockley Social Club with a secret headliner from 8pm. Plus you can get your favourite street food at the same time. Tickets are £14.30 or £57.20 for a group of five.
I’m finding the articles about the measles and reduced immunisation uptake situation interesting. Again thinking back to my time as a GP Receptionist/Clerk, one of my tasks was to go through the list of those who had been immunised, ensure it had been recorded and then encourage others to attend.
A question has come to mind upon reading the part about the Somali community: is the increase of diagnosis of autism because it’s now being accepted by them and the means is there to make said diagnosis?