The half-term break could not have come soon enough for some primary schools and health administrators in Croydon, where the vaccination rate for measles is lower than most of our neighbouring boroughs.
Rash outlook: all the measles cases confirmed in Enfield have involved under-10s who have not been vaccinated
Outbreaks of the measles virus among schoolchildren on the other side of the capital, in Enfield and in Haringey, have raised the alarm across London. A half-term week with children off school, an infection “fire break” of sorts, is hoped may help to stem or slow the spread of this nasty disease.
There is no treatment for measles, only the vaccination to prevent catching it.
The measles outbreak has raised the important issue of vaccination uptake, or the lack of uptake. Thirty, even 20 years ago, measles had become something of history, a folk memory of our grandparents, as the MMR vaccine – measles, mumps and rubella – had an uptake of 90% to 95%, enough to quell and prevent the risk of an outbreak as we are seeing now. Continue reading
Locals in New Addington are becoming concerned that the blocked roads will significantly hamper the response time of emergency services in the area. while temporary crossings have been declared to be dangerous for pedestrians.
The Whitgift Foundation is sponsoring the day’s activities, which will be organised by the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, the country’s largest dedicated children’s literature festival, with more than 100 author events, performances, workshops and activities for young book fans and their families.
Rowenna Davis has revealed how she has been talking to a consortium of around 12 potential investors and is “prepared to use every legal power available” to try to fix what she calls “the hole where Croydon’s heart should be”.
The DfE’s Croydon office is one of six facing closure, the others being in Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and Watford.
A Town Hall meeting tonight will rubber-stamp Mayor Jason Perry’s decision to increase Council Tax in April by the maximum allowed annually of 4.99%.
Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary and Croydon South’s MP, has fired off a missive to the interim CEO of Royal Mail. Though judging by the delays in deliveries round here, it could be weeks before Alistair Cochrane receives the letter.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion is a powerful exploration of what it means to be human – an emotional retelling of Christ’s final hours that speaks as deeply today as it did when it was first composed 300 years ago.
