FAMILY HEALTH Everything you need to know about measles as cases rise M

EASLES cases rocketed by 300% across Europe last year as some parents refused to vaccinate their children while other young people, who had never been vaccinated, spread the disease.

Lack of safety jabs led to more than 20,000 people being infected, causing 35 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.

The disease had been virtually eradicated in Britain before confidence in the MMR vaccine collapsed in the late 1990s after Dr Andrew Wakefield wrongly claimed the measles, mumps and rubella jab was linked to autism.

Some worried parents chose not to vaccinate their children, leaving the youngsters at risk of catching the highly contagious disease.

Many are now teenagers and young adults who are travelling to Europe and partying at festivals where there have been outbreaks.

There were 282 cases reported in the UK last year, all caused by people from affected countries.

So far this year there have been 36 known cases in the UK. So how deadly is the disease and how can parents protect their children? inside the cheeks. After a few days a red rash appears on the face and neck, spreading to the hands and feet.

People are infectious from when symptoms develop until about four days after the rash appears. “MEASLES has never fully ‘gone away’,” says Dr Ramsay.

“In September 2017 the UK received World Health Organisation measles elimination status, meaning it was no longer endemic, to the country, so all cases would originate back to an imported index case.

“High levels of media coverage and debate in the public eye about the now refuted link between MMR and autism led to a drop in MMR coverage in the late 1990s, which took many years to recover.

“The ‘Wakefield generation’, who were babies during the time of the Wakefield scare, are now in their 20s and many would not have had the vaccination – which is why we saw outbreaks at some festivals in 2016.” CHILDREN should be given the MMR vaccine when they are a year old.

They will then have a second injection of the vaccine before starting school, usually at three years and four months.

But if you or your child have not been vaccinated it is not too late, and doctors are urging anyone who has never had the jab to get themselves vaccinated. AFTER the Wakefield scare, some parents opted to have single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for their children, rather than the triple MMR jab.

Dr Ramsay explains what the difference is and why it’s harder to get single jabs.

“Single vaccines are not available on the NHS in the UK because there is a risk that fewer children would receive all the necessary injections, increasing the levels of measles, mumps and rubella.

“The delay in having six separate injections would also put more children at risk of developing the conditions, as well as increasing the amount of work and inconvenience for parents and those administering the vaccines.”