Measles cases at 18-year high because parents are failing to get children vaccinated

2,016 confirmed cases in England and Wales in 2012, the highest annual total since 1994



Teenagers not vaccinated when they were younger are at particular risk of becoming exposed, say experts



Several smaller spreads have also occurred in travelling communities across the European Union





There were 2,016 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales in 2012, the highest annual total since 1994

Cases of measles are at a record high, health officials have warned.

In 2012, there were 2,016 cases of the potentially deadly disease in babies, children and adults in England and Wales.

This makes it the biggest outbreak since cases were first formally recorded almost 20 years ago.

The total is more than six times that of 2002 - and almost 40 times higher than 1998, when just 56 cases were documented.

With measles also rife in France, Italy and Spain, it is thought that some outbreaks were sparked by infections brought back from abroad by holidaymakers.

Vaccination of toddlers is high but there is particular concern that the disease, which is spread through coughing and sneezing, is hitting teenagers who were not given the MMR jab as babies.

This will include some whose parents feared the safety of the jab, following research by Dr Andrew Wakefield linking it to bowel problems and autism. This work has since been roundly discredited.

There have also been small outbreaks in travelling communities.

Health experts warned that measles can kill - and needs to be taken seriously.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the Health Protection Agency, said: ‘Measles is often associated with being a disease of the past and as a result people may be unaware that it is a dangerous infection and can lead to death in severe cases.

MEASLES: THE SYMPTOMS

Cold-like symptoms, fever



Red eyes and sensitivity to light



Greyish-white spots in the mouth and throat

After a few days, a red-brown spotty rash will appear.



It usually starts behind the ears, then spreads around the head and neck before spreading to the legs and the rest of the body

‘Parents should ensure their children are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) with two doses of the MMR vaccine.

‘Parents of unvaccinated children, as well as older teenagers and adults who may have missed MMR vaccination, should make an appointment with their GP to get vaccinated.

‘Measles continues to circulate in several European countries which are popular with holidaymakers.’



The UK, along with France, Italy, Spain and Romania, accounted for 87 per cent of the 7,392 cases that occurred in the EU last year.

In Britain, there have been prolonged outbreaks in Merseyside, Surrey and Sussex.

Between January 2012 and the end of the January this year, there were 622 cases in and around Liverpool -and around a third of these were admitted to hospital.

Teenagers were most likely to be affected, while babies that were too young to be vaccinated made up the second biggest group.

Lancashire is another measles hot spot, with around 100 cases in the last year, including 28 cases in the Morecambe Bay area in the past three to four weeks.

Teenagers who were not vaccinated at the routine age are at particular risk of becoming exposed to the highly infectious viral illness (pictured)

Most of these were centred on eight schools.

Health officials there plan to write to the parents of 30,000 children aged five to 16 who haven’t been vaccinated.

In addition, a leaflet about measles has been written for travelling people, amid concerns about a rise in cases in their communities.

Measles is very contagious, with one person who is ill able to infect more than 15 others, if they haven’t been vaccinated or had the virus before.

At the beginning, someone with measles can feel like they have a bad cold, with a fever, dry cough and red, or sore, eyes.

A few days later, a red-brown spotty rash appears. It usually starts behind the ears, then spreads around the head and neck before covering the body.

Potentially lethal complications include pneumonia, hepatitis and swelling of the brain around one in five who catch the bug will spend time in hospital.

However, there have not been any deaths for several years.

Teenage spread: Vaccination of toddlers is high but there is concern that the disease, which is spread through coughing and sneezing, is hitting teenagers who were not given the MMR jab as babies



