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Public Health England (PHE) has advised the public to ensure they have had two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine after it confirmed outbreaks of measles across England.
Between 1 January 2018 and 9 May 2018, there have been 440 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England, with London (164), the South East (86), West Midlands (78), South West (42) and West Yorkshire (37) reporting the most cases.
The increase in measles circulation is mainly associated with travel to and from Europe, where there are large ongoing measles outbreaks, PHE said.
Young people and adults aged 15 and over who missed out on MMR vaccine when they were younger and some under-vaccinated communities have been particularly affected, PHE noted.
The MMR vaccine is available to all adults and children who are not up to date with their two doses.
Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said the outbreak served 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.”
PHE also encouraged people to ensure they were up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.
