Now measles cases at highest level in 10 years
MEASLES cases have soared to the highest level in more than a decade, official figures show.
Latest Uk Health Security Agency data revealed a further 118 people have contracted the virus in the past week alone – half as many as for the entire month of January.
It takes the total number of confirmed cases to 465 – higher than the last major outbreak in 2013 – amid concerns that attempts to contain the spread are not working.
Health officials said the West Midlands remains at the heart of the outbreak, while cases in London are also on the rise. Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said it ‘continues to be a concern’ and urged parents to make sure their children are fully protected.
She said: ‘Measles is highly infectious and there is a real risk it will spread to other areas.
‘Parents should be aware that measles is a nasty illness for most children and for some can be very serious and life changing, but it is completely preventable.
‘Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your children. I strongly urge parents to protect their child now.’ The latest rise in weekly cases takes the number of confirmed cases way above levels in July 2013 – the last significant outbreak – when around 300 were recorded.
The majority (66 per cent) have been in children under the age of ten, with a quarter (25 per cent) in young people and adults over the age of 15, health officials said.
Almost three- quarters (71 per cent) have been in the West Midlands, 13 per cent in the capital and 7 per cent in Yorkshire and the Humber. Falling uptake of the Measles Mumps Rubella vaccine has been blamed, with one in ten children starting school in England unprotected.
Dr Michael Head, global health expert at the University of Southampton, said the outbreaks will continue unless vaccination rates improve. He said: ‘With vaccine coverage around 75 per cent or so in parts of the West Midlands, there are more than enough susceptible people who can continue the chain of transmission. Thus, these recent increases are to be expected.’
It comes weeks after the Uk Health Security Agency declared a ‘national incident’ and called for action amid the surge in cases.
The NHS has launched a catch-up programme for jabs, with more than 3.4million children under-16 unprotected.
It is expanding its invitations to those up to the age of 25 in parts of the Midlands, Greater Manchester and London, who have not had both doses of the MMR vaccine.
Steve Russell, NHS vaccinations chief, said: ‘We’re tackling the spread by contacting all parents and guardians of eligible children to invite them to get the jab.’