Measles makes a comeback with 440 cases in just one year

MORE than 400 cases of measles have been confirmed across England – a year after the World Health Organisation declared Britain had eliminated the disease for the first time.

There were 440 laboratoryconfirmed cases in England from January 1 to May 9 and they are linked to ‘large outbreaks in Europe’, particularly in Romania and Italy.

‘Younger people seem to be most at risk,’ said Dr Mary Ramsay, of Public Health England.

She added: ‘The majority of cases we are seeing are in teenagers and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine when they were children. This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at one year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age.

‘We’d also encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.’

Britain was declared scientifically measles-free because the number of cases was low enough to stop it spreading through the population for at least three years.