Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Jun 20, 2024 20:33:40 GMT
Measles: 500 cases are confirmed in England as clusters appear around the country - Published Feb 15, 2024
Clusters of measles cases have started to appear in regions around England after an initial outbreak in the West Midlands, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned.1
In the four weeks since 15 January, 166 laboratory confirmed measles cases have been recorded. While the West Midlands accounted for just over half of these cases (91), 12% (20) were seen in London, 10% (17) in the North West region, 10% in Yorkshire and the Humber (16), and 9% (15) in the East Midlands.
Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said, “As expected, due to worryingly low MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] vaccine uptake in some areas across the country, we are now starting to see clusters of cases in other regions.”
The latest figures take the total number of confirmed cases since 1 October last year to 521. Most of these cases (343; 66%) are in children under 10, and a quarter (133; 25%) have been in young people over 15.
Saliba added, “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 lifelong disability. 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.”
Earlier this month a man in Ireland was reported to have died after contracting measles. He had recently travelled to Birmingham, where many of the cases in the West Midlands are concentrated. His was the first case of measles notified in Ireland in 2024.2
Clusters of measles cases have started to appear in regions around England after an initial outbreak in the West Midlands, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned.1
In the four weeks since 15 January, 166 laboratory confirmed measles cases have been recorded. While the West Midlands accounted for just over half of these cases (91), 12% (20) were seen in London, 10% (17) in the North West region, 10% in Yorkshire and the Humber (16), and 9% (15) in the East Midlands.
Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said, “As expected, due to worryingly low MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] vaccine uptake in some areas across the country, we are now starting to see clusters of cases in other regions.”
The latest figures take the total number of confirmed cases since 1 October last year to 521. Most of these cases (343; 66%) are in children under 10, and a quarter (133; 25%) have been in young people over 15.
Saliba added, “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 lifelong disability. 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.”
Earlier this month a man in Ireland was reported to have died after contracting measles. He had recently travelled to Birmingham, where many of the cases in the West Midlands are concentrated. His was the first case of measles notified in Ireland in 2024.2