Pharmacists at the centre of the measles outbreak in Swansea are working hard to allay patients' fears, Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW) has reported, after Public Health Wales revealed on Friday (April 5) that there were 588 cases of measles across south Wales over the past four months.  

The Welsh Centre for Pharmacy Professional Education is targeting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the area with updated e-learning materials, CPW said.

A CPW spokesperson said that, in the first week of it being relaunched, about 60 pharmacists and technicians took the course, which helps them to advise the public in identifying the symptoms of measles, how to reduce the risk and how children could receive the MMR vaccination.  

Public Health Wales said the epidemic was linked to low uptake of the MMR vaccine in the 1990s amid fears of a link with autism, which has since been discredited	More on measles Measles cases soar Patients turn to pharmacists as measles epidemic       hits Merseyside HPA warns of surge in measles cases
	"This process underlines the community pharmacy as the source of reliable professional health advice to the public at all times," the spokesperson added.

Cases of measles have continued to rise across south Wales since November last year and the Health Protection Agency confirmed over the weekend that there were 200 cases in the north-east of England. 

Public Health Wales said the epidemic was linked to low uptake of the MMR vaccine in the 1990s, amid health scares about links to autism, since discredited.

Public Health Wales urged parents to ensure their children receive the MMR vaccine and about 1,200 children received the free jab over the weekend at vaccination clinics in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend.

Public Health Wales consultant in pharmaceutical public health Karen Fitzgerald said the group wanted to harness community pharmacists' role to get the vaccination message across to their patients. "We are very keen to use the reach that community pharmacy has," she said. "It is really about vaccination."