MORE highly-infectious measles outbreaks are likely to spring up across England, a top health official has warned.
Cases are increasing in London, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands, as well as the the West Midlands, which was the first hot spot to see infections erupt.
Dr Mary Ramsay, of the UK Health Security Agency, urged parents to make sure their children are up to date with their jabs — with hundreds of thousands at risk.
She told BBC Radio 4: “Just because it’s not in your region yet, it will come eventually and it will spread very, very quickly, so you might not have time once the outbreak starts.
“We’re worried about everywhere where there are unvaccinated children.
“There are unvaccinated children across the country, but there are certain pockets where it’s much worse. Most of those are in the metropolitan areas, so other big cities are at risk.
“The biggest risk overall is the London region, which has had low coverage for many years now. So the potential there is even greater.”
UKHSA data show there were 56 more cases across England last week, bringing the total number since October last year to 521.
In the last four weeks, there have been 166 lab-confirmed cases, including 91 in Birmingham, 20 in London, 17 in the North West, 16 in Yorkshire and 15 in the East Midlands.
The UKHSA said cases in Birmingham “appear to be stabilising”.
Health officials have urged parents to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for their children.
Measles can lead to serious complications, lifelong disability and death.
It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.
Dr Ramsay said: “Measles is at best a really unpleasant illness.
“People are quite shocked when they see it because they haven’t seen it for so long. Doctors themselves are also shocked.
“A small number of children will go on to get complications from measles, which include pneumonia, encephalitis — swelling of the brain — and we can see deaths from measles.
“So if we have large numbers of cases, we will have the risk of small numbers of deaths.
“The only way to prevent that is by people who are unvaccinated going and getting their vaccines now.”
How to keep your child safe
Children are offered their first dose at age one and their second at three years and four months, just before they start school.
However, if they, or anyone else, miss any jabs, they can catch up at any time at their GP surgery.
Unvaccinated children who come into contact with the disease are currently being advised to stay at home for 21 days.
People should also avoid shopping and public transport if they fall ill, experts have said.
This is because measles is highly contagious, with a patient typically passing the infection on to 20 others.
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Expert answers MMR questions
TO help deal with parental concerns, Professor Helen Bedford, a specialist in child public health at University College London, tells you all you need to know about the MMR vaccine.
When is the vaccine given?
The MMR vaccine is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.
It’s typically given via a single shot into the muscle of the thigh or the upper arm.
The first dose is offered to children at the age of one (babies younger than this may have some protection from antibodies passed on from their mother, which start to wear off at about 12 months.)
The second dose is then offered to children aged three years and four months before they start school.
To check to see if you or your child have had the recommended two doses of MMR, you can look at their/your Personal Child Health Record, also known as the red book.
If you can’t find the red book, call your GP and ask them for your vaccine records.
You are never too old to catch up with your MMR vaccine.
If you see from your vaccination records that you did not receive two doses as a child, you can book a vaccination appointment.
Is the vaccine safe?
The MMR vaccine is safe and effective at preventing measles, mumps and rubella.
In the UK, we started using the jab in 1988, so we have decades of experience using it.
The jab is made from much-weakened live versions of the three viruses.
This triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that are protective in the face of future exposure.
It takes up to three weeks after having the vaccine to be fully protected.
Like any vaccine, the MMR jab can cause side-effects, which are usually mild and go away very quickly.
This includes rash, high temperature, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell for about two or three days.
There is also a very small chance children can have a severe allergic reaction.
But compared to the complications of measles, there is no contest that vaccination is by far the safest and most effective route to take.