BRITAIN:Public health officials in the UK last night issued an appeal for parents to vaccinate their children against measles, amid fears of an outbreak during the new school term. The move follows a surge in children diagnosed with the disease in Britain over recent months, with cases more than trebling in the past 11 weeks.
There have been 480 confirmed cases of measles in the UK so far this year, compared with 756 cases during all of 2006 (the most recorded in a single year), according to the Health Protection Agency.
The agency said there had been nearly 350 cases confirmed over the summer, when infections were usually at their lowest.
The outbreaks were in the geographical areas with the lowest take-up of the MMR jab, which vaccinates against measles, mumps and rubella. Public confidence in the jab had fallen over concerns about its safety.
Mary Ramsay, a senior epidemiologist with the agency, said: "Over the summer holidays, we have seen more cases of measles being reported than we would normally expect.
"This means it is crucial that children are fully immunised with two doses of MMR before they return to school. Measles is a highly infectious and dangerous illness, and as there is increased close contact in schools it can spread easily."
The midsummer surge occurred among unvaccinated children of school age, a spokeswoman added.
The majority were in London, the southeast and east of England.
In April last year, a boy (13) from a Travelling family in the northwest became the first person in 14 years in the UK to die from the disease. There are fears there are more cases of measles going undiagnosed.
In Hackney, east London, an estimated 150 cases have been diagnosed since June in reportedly the worst outbreak since records began in 1995 - 28 cases were reported last week alone.
Emergency clinics are aiming to raise take-up of the jab.