Public Health England
Immunisation Department
61 Colindale Avenue
London NW9 5EQ
Tel +44 (0)20 8200 4400
Fax +44 (0)20 8327 7404
www.gov.uk/phe
Date:
Dear Name of case / Parent / guardian of named case
Your doctor has recently notified you (or your child) to the proper officer in your Local Authority with a suspected diagnosis of measles, mumps or rubella. Your doctor is legally obliged to report all such cases, in confidence, to the PHE who have the responsibility to investigate and control the spread of infectious diseases. Because most children in this country are now vaccinated, measles, mumps and rubella have become less common, and are easily mistaken for other infections. To plan future vaccination programmes, it is important to confirm the diagnosis in as many cases as possible. A test has been developed which will diagnose recent infections from a sample of fluid taken from the mouth. The sample is taken by gently brushing the teeth and gums with a sponge swab and is therefore, painless - even in young children. The sample can be taken by the patient, a parent or guardian, or by a doctor or nurse.
If you are willing to help with this simple test, please collect the sample as soon as possible, ideally within the next few days. We have enclosed a special kit with instructions; this can be then posted to the laboratory using the pre-paid addressed bag. If you are unable or uncomfortable with performing the test yourself, please do not hesitate to contact your GP who will be happy to arrange taking the sample for you. The sample will be used to identify whether you or your child has the infection that your doctor reported to PHE. Sometimes, the samples are also tested for another vaccine preventable infection that can cause similar symptoms (such as measles, mumps, chicken pox, rubella or influenza). These additional tests are usually conducted to investigate a local or national increase in one of these infections. The results should be available from your doctor within a few weeks. If, for any reason you do not wish the test to be performed, this should not affect the care you receive from your doctor.
Thank you for your help with this important programme, which may help to protect children better in the future. If you want to learn more about this programme you can go to the MMR pages on our website (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measles-guidance-data-and-analysis).
If you have any queries, you can talk to a doctor or nurse at your local public health unit.
Instructions for taking and posting the swab:
1. In this package you should have the following items:
· a pink/blue swab (A) inside a clear tube (B) (both in a sealed paper packet)
· a green screw top container (C) inside a cardboard box (D),
· a request form (E) and
· a pre-paid plastic envelope (F)
2. Open the paper packet, remove the top from the clear tube (B) and pull out the pink/blue swab using the handle. Rub the pink/blue sponge swab all along the gums and teeth (if present), a bit like using a toothbrush, for one to two minutes.
3. Place the wet swab (A) back inside the clear tube (B), and replace the white cap. Please print the name, date of birth and today’s date on the label on the clear tube.
4. Please now wash your hands.
5. Place the labelled tube containing the swab inside the green screw top container (C).
6. Please complete the request form (E), ensuring that the patient’s name and the GP name and address are correct.
7. Place both the completed request form and the green screw top container back into the cardboard box (D), and then into the pre-paid plastic envelope (F).
8. Seal the envelope. Post as soon as you can in a Royal Mail post box – a stamp is not required.
9. The results should be available from your doctor within a few weeks.
Thank you
If you are unclear about these instructions you can phone 0208 327 6442 within office hours. if the paper packet has been opened, Do not use the swab, but stop AND ring the number ABOVE.
IMW167-MMR parent letter/request form Version 5 22/12/2015