Parents have been urged to vaccinate their children during the summer holidays amid a resurgence in potentially deadly measles cases.
British health chiefs already sounded the alarm over a spike in cases earlier this year; last year saw the highest number of infections recorded annually since 2012.
But experts are now concerned that travel during the summer holidays could lead to another surge in England when the new school term begins.
A rise in measles infections, dubbed ‘the world’s most infectious disease’, in recent weeks has already forced some nurseries to instate Covid-era infection control policies.
One child in Liverpool also died last month—it is understood they were they were severely ill with measles as well as other serious health problems.
Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine offers up to 99 per cent protection against the illnesses, which can lead to hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.
Without it, just one measles infection can spread the virus to 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people nearby.
Yet, as few as just over half of children have had both MMR jabs in parts of London. Similarly low levels are also seen in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles. A few days later, some people develop small white spots on the inside of their cheeks and the back of their lips
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), there have been 145 cases since the last report on 3 July, bringing the total since 1 January to 674 cases.
London and the North West are driving the current increase, with the majority of infections in children aged under 10.
Almost half (48 per cent) of the 674 cases for the year so far have been in London, with 16 per cent in the North West and 10 per cent in the east of England.
The borough of Hackney in east London, has recorded the highest number of cases in the country at 79, the UKHSA said, accounting for more than one in ten infections.
Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, Assistant Professor of Global Health & Development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said: ‘It is no surprise that Hackney has seen the highest number of measles cases over the past four weeks.
In 2023-2024, MMR coverage in Hackney was lowest by local authority in England and just 60.8 per cent had received both MMR doses by the age of five, compared with 83.9 per cent of children on average across England.
‘Without this vital vaccine coverage, children have been left as sitting ducks for a measles outbreak.
‘Hackney’s population is unique and a “one-size fits all” approach will not solve the problem.
British health chiefs already sounded the alarm over a spike in cases earlier this year. But experts are now concerned that travel during the summer holidays could lead to another surge
Health experts have begged parents to check their child’s immunisation status, warning that the public had ‘forgotten about measles’ and that it was still a ‘catastrophic’ illness
‘The borough’s population is diverse and younger, with almost one in three residents aged under 24.
‘Local clinics and teams are working incredibly hard to protect children and prevent another child death from measles in the UK.
‘But it is extremely difficult to sustain positive results when funding to commission vaccination projects and new professionals roles are short-term and unpredictable.’
Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, also said: ‘The summer months offer parents an important opportunity to ensure their children’s vaccinations are up to date, giving them the best possible protection when the new school term begins.
‘It is never too late to catch up. Don’t put it off and regret it later.
‘Two doses of the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your family from measles.
‘Babies under the age of 1 and some people who have weakened immune systems can’t have the vaccine and are at risk of more serious complications if they get measles.
‘They rely on the rest of us getting the vaccine to protect them.’
Measles, which mostly produces flu-like symptoms and the tell-tale rash, can cause very serious and even fatal health complications if it spreads to the lungs or the brain.
One in five children who get infected will be hospitalised, according to estimates, with one in 15 developing serious complications like meningitis or sepsis.
The MMR jab has been offered to children in Britain since the late 80s.
But uptake collapsed in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the wake of a 1998 discredited study by Andrew Wakefield, which falsely linked the vaccine with autism.
Tens of thousands of parents refused to let medics jab their children due to the bogus paper, published in medical journal The Lancet.
Donald Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr earlier this year vowed to ‘look at vaccines’, to determine what was behind spiralling autism rates.
But in April RFK Jr pulled a major about–face, following a surge in measles cases in the US, when he said the MMR vaccine was the ‘most effective way’ to stave off the potentially dangerous virus.