ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Some UK nurseries are striving to protect children from contracting measles by carrying out Covid-style levels of cleaning, according to reports.

But the UK Health Security Agency has stressed that cleaning alone cannot provide effective protection from the illness.

The UKHSA has issued a statement after an article in a British national newspaper described how one nursery had brought back "Covid cleaning levels" to help prevent the disease. According to reports, the nursery had incorporated strict protocols such as separating walking children from babies to reduce the spread of infection.

The UKHSA said it was concerned that the article could mislead education professionals into thinking that cleaning or personal protective equipment alone could provide effective protection from measles.

And it added that although thorough cleaning was good practice and could help to reduce the spread of some diseases, the MMR vaccine was the safest and most effective way to protect children and staff from measles, mumps and rubella.

"Getting the MMR vaccine not only protects the vaccinated child, but also unborn babies, infants who are too young to have the vaccine and children and adults who can't have the vaccine because they have weakened immune systems," it stated.

Cases of measles have been rising steadily in the UK. Last year there were 2,911 confirmed cases in England, the highest annual total since 2012. Since January 1 there have been 674 laboratory-confirmed cases.

The UKHSA says it is aware that education settings are keen to do everything they can to reduce the spread of measles. But it adds that they can help by encouraging parents to take up the offer of vaccines for their children when they are due.