Measles cases emerging outside original outbreak hotspot

Clusters of measles cases have emerged outside of the outbreak hotspot in the West Midlands, new figures show.

Cases have been found in London, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the East Midlands, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

Health officials said hundreds of thousands of children in England are unvaccinated against the disease and “remain at risk of serious complications or life-long disability”.

There have been an additional 56 cases in the last week, according to UKHSA data, bringing the total number since October last year to 521.

In the last four weeks there have been 166 lab-confirmed cases including: 91 (55%) in Birmingham; 20 cases in London, 17 in the North West, 16 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 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.

Vaccination rates across the country have been dropping, but there are particular concerns about some regions, including parts of London and the West Midlands.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “As expected, due to worryingly low MMR vaccine uptake in some areas across the country, we are now starting to see clusters of cases in other regions.

“While parents are coming forward to take up the offer of the MMR vaccine for their children, there are still hundreds of thousands of children who remain unprotected and therefore remain at risk of serious complications or life-long disability, but measles is completely preventable with vaccination.

“I strongly urge parents to take up the offer of the MMR vaccine now to make sure their child is protected.”