Parents urged to get children vaccinated amid rise in measles cases
Parents are being asked to make sure children are fully up to date with their MMR vaccinations after a 'very concerning' rise in cases of measles.
Between 1 January and 20 April this year, in the UK there have been 49 cases of measles compared to 54 cases in the whole of 2022.
Six of these were confirmed cases in the South West. Some cases are linked to travel abroad.
It comes as the number of children being vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella has fallen.
What is measles?
Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause serious problems in some people. Having the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent it.
It usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later.
Full symptoms include a high fever, sore red watery eyes and a blotchy red-brown rash.
Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.
Professor Dominic Mellon, Deputy Director for UKHSA South West, said: “Measles is not ‘just a harmless childhood illness’. It spreads very easily and can lead to complications that require a stay in hospital and on rare occasions can cause lifelong disability or death, so it is very concerning to see cases increasing.
"During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw a fall in uptake for the routine childhood vaccinations, including MMR which leaves us vulnerable to outbreaks, especially as people start to travel abroad for summer holidays to places where measles is more common.
“Vaccines are our best line of defence against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella and help stop outbreaks occurring in the community. That is why we’re asking all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their two MMR doses."
In recent years the number of children vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella has fallen. Uptake for the first dose of the MMR vaccine in two-year-olds in the South West is 93.2%, and uptake of two MMR doses at five years is 90.6%*, below the 95% target set by the World Health Organization which is necessary to achieve and maintain elimination.
Children are offered the first dose of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, when they turn one and the second dose at three years and four months.
The UKHSA is urging parents of young children, teenagers and adults to check that they are up to date with their MMR vaccines, particularly before they travel this summer and before attending summer festivals where measles can spread more easily.