Case of Measles Confirmed in University Student

In an email sent to students on 26 January, the University Proctor revealed that a student was diagnosed with measles after attending the Refreshers’ Fayre at the Students’ Association in St Andrews on Sunday 21 January. 

Measles is a highly contagious disease requiring the infected individual to isolate. The early symptoms include a cough, sneezing, fever, sore eyes, and a runny nose. Other symptoms include small spots in the mouth and a rash. 

The infected student is isolating at home in a private flat in St Andrews and is not seriously ill, and close contacts have been informed.  As of this writing, the University has not sent out an email warning of additional cases, and it seems unlikely that the disease will spread and lead to an outbreak within the community.  

As part of its response, the University collaborated with NHS Fife to provide a free, drop-in clinic offering the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) at the Union. Students not doubly protected against measles, mumps, and rubella, or meningitis were encouraged to make use of this service, which ran from 30 January to 2 February. 

According to data from the National Health Service (NHS), low uptake of the MMR vaccine is a key driver for the rising number of measles cases in the UK. Around 85 per cent of children have received two doses of the MMR vaccine by five years old. However, according to recommendations from the World Health Organization, a vaccination rate of at least 95 per cent is needed to achieve herd immunity and prevent the spread of disease. 

Scotland does meet the required vaccination rate and Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) figures from September 2023 report that 95.8 per cent of children receive both doses of the MMR vaccine by age five.  

Image by the CDC and NIAID