Professor Benedict Michael, Chair of Infection Neuroscience at the University of Liverpool, is our expert for this special Information Week episode of the Encephalitis Podcast.

He chats to podcast host Dr Ava Easton about measles, encephalitis and childhood vaccinations.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and Podbean.

2m13s - How much of your work as a neurologist and scientist is connected to vaccines and their production/dispensing?

3m28s - Figures from the UK Health Security Agency earlier this year revealed that uptake of the MMR vaccine in England is at an all-time low – why do you think that is?

4m25s - Are measles, mumps and rubella still a threat?

5m29s - We know that some parents are genuinely hesitant about giving their children the MMR vaccine as they are worried about the side effects – just how safe is the MMR vaccine?

7m39s - What complications can measles have on someone who is unvaccinated?

9m16s - How contagious is measles compared to, say, COVID-19?

10m 46s - Could there could be a real risk of a measles outbreak among the unvaccinated?

11m 22s - How can parents check if their children are fully vaccinated – or whether they need another dose to be fully immunised?

12m26s - I’ve had measles so I suspect I never received the MMR as a child. Am I protected now against measles having had the illness?

13m59s - The World Health Organization is reporting that the percentage of children who received doses of the vaccine against diptheria, tetatus and pertussis has also fallen – with estimates that 235 million children missed out on one of more doses in 2021. Why do you think this is?

16m49s - Low-to-middle income countries seem to be the hardest hit. What can be done to address this issue?

19m11s - What do you think the outcome would be if we are unable to close the gap on childhood immunisations?

21m27s - We are at the end of our podcast Ben – is there anything else you might like to say about this subject or the Encephalitis Society before we wrap up?