Urgent warning issued to parents after measles outbreak

The UK Health Security Agency has sent an urgent message to parents to check their children are up to date with their MMR vaccinations as measles cases are on the rise.

A growing 49 measles cases were found between January and April of this year - compared to 54 cases throughout the 12 months of 2022.

The spike in cases has flagged concerns about a summer surge as kids mix during the summer holidays.

The NHS website states: "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 can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, meningitis and long-term disability or death - which is rare but still possible.

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The NHS says that first symptoms include: a high temperature, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a cough, red, sore, watery eyes.

This then leads to spots in the mouth and the measles rash starting behind the ears and on the face and described as looking like 'brown or red on white skin' but 'may be harder to see on brown and black skin'.

The spots are 'sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches' but 'they're not usually itchy'.

Vaccination rates in England have dropped after the coronavirus pandemic and are falling short of the 95% population coverage the World Health Organisation says is needed to eliminate outbreaks.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their 2 MMR doses.

"It’s never too late to catch up, and you can get the MMR vaccine for free on the NHS whatever your age."

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She continued: "Vaccines are our best line of defence against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella and help stop outbreaks occurring in the community.

"Measles 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 starting to pick up this year.

"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 travel abroad for summer holidays to places where measles is more common."

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.

If your child has symptoms the NHS advises to stay at home and phone your GP or NHS 111 for advice, before visiting the surgery or A&E, to prevent the illness spreading further.