Vaccinations - Healthy Stockport

Measles symptoms to watch out for and how to protect yourself

We’ve recently seen a small number of measles cases locally, reminding us that measles affects adults as well as children. If you develop symptoms such as a high temperature, cough, a severe runny nose, red watery eyes and a rash, do not attend your GP surgery, pharmacy or emergency department. Call NHS 111 or your GP first.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine protect around 99% of people against measles. Contact your GP practice to check your vaccination status and book a free appointment. Find out more about measles and the MMR vaccine on the NHS website.

Pneumococcal or pneumonia vaccine

Pneumonia is swelling or inflammation of the tissue in one or both lungs. It's usually caused by a bacterial infection or a virus. The symptoms of pneumonia can develop suddenly over 24 to 48 hours, or they may come on more slowly over several days, and can include:

a cough, which may be dry, or produce thick yellow, green, brown or blood-stained mucus or phlegm
difficulty breathing. Your breathing may be rapid and shallow, and you may feel breathless, even when resting
rapid heartbeat
high temperature
feeling generally unwell
sweating and shivering
loss of appetite
chest pain, which gets worse when breathing or coughing

You can find out more about the symptoms and treatment of pneumonia on the NHS website

Vaccines are available as anyone can get a pneumococcal infection. The pneumococcal vaccine protects against serious and potentially fatal pneumococcal infections. It's also known as the pneumonia vaccine.

Some people are at higher risk of serious illness, so it's recommended they're given the pneumococcal vaccination on the NHS. Therefore, the vaccination is targeted at high risk groups only.

You can find out more about the pneumococcal vaccine on the NHS website.