17 February 2024 , 11:05
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Parents are being warned to ensure their children are vaccinated as figures show measles has emerged across every region of England.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) last month declared a national incident following an outbreak in the West Midlands, with hundreds of kids contracting the potentially deadly disease. The government agency published an epidemiology report on Thursday which revealed clusters of cases have been recorded hundreds of miles away - in every part of the country.
Measles cases have been identified in London, the northwest, northeast, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, east of England and southeast and southwest, UKHSA confirmed. Worryingly, hundreds of thousands of children remain unvaccinated. Dr Vanessa Saliba, a 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 lifelong 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.”
An additional 56 cases were recorded in the last week alone, according to UKHSA data. The total since last October is 571. The West Midlands has seen 358, while London has 71, Yorkshire and the Humber 37, East Midlands 20, northwest 18, southwest eight, southeast four, east of England four and northeast one.
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The infection can lead to lifelong disability and death. It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures. It comes after the UKHSA also announced an investigation has been launched into an increase in cases of tuberculosis in England. There is an 11% rise in TB in England in 2023, compared with 2022, provisional data shows. There were 4,850 cases last year, higher than pre-pandemic levels, the UKHSA said.
Symptoms of measles appear 7-10 days after contact with the virus and include:
- cold-like symptoms such as runny or blocked nose, sneezing and cough
- red, sore, watery eyes
- high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40OC / 104OF
- a non-itchy, red-brown rash usually appears 3-5 days later (sometimes starts around the ears before spreading to rest of the body), spots may be raised and join to form blotchy patches – which may be harder to see on darker skin tones
- small white spots may appear inside cheeks and the back of lips (for a few days)