07 March 2024 , 11:17
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Health officials have warned of a "worrying" rise in measles as 83 more cases have been reported since last week.
The disease has been rising since late 2023, with clusters in several regions, including the West Midlands, the North West and London, but has severely ratcheted up in the last few months. Data published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has brought the total number of cases confirmed since 1 October 2023 to 733, after a further 83 laboratory-confirmed cases since last week.
Although the outbreak in the West Midlands initially drove the increase in cases, clusters of cases in other regions such as the North West have continued to increase in the past weeks. The highest number of cases continues to be reported in the West Midlands at 34%, the North West has 21% of cases, 19% in London, 13% in the East Midlands and 7% in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO) said there had been an "alarming" 45-fold increase in measles cases across Europe in 2023. More than 42,000 people were infected in 2023, compared to 941 during the whole of 2022. Cases are rising because number of young primary school children who have had both doses of the MMR vaccine is below WHO targets.
A teenager having a measles vaccination (PA)Approximately 85% of children in 2022-23 had received two MMR doses by their fifth birthday, the lowest level since 2010-11. The recommended figure is 95%. In some cities, including Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham, only 75% of five-year-olds are fully vaccinated, NHS figures show. It means more than 3.4 million children in England aged under 16 are unprotected.
'Chickenpox vaccine plan is overwhelmingly supported by parents for their kids'
Professor Stephen Griffin, a leading virologist at Leeds University, previously told the Mirror he believes a "newfound" rising anti-vax movement is to blame. He said: "People don't understand how immunology works. That's why we have vaccines. These diseases are not a problem nowadays because of the vaccines. And there's a vicious circle of people who think they're not a problem, so why bother with the vaccine? But measles is devastating. It's a nasty disease. It causes horrible neurological complications. Kids died from it. So, the minute you stop using these vaccines to their full effect, you're gonna start seeing outbreaks again."
A huge 63% of these cases in the UK were in children under the age of 10 and 29.5% in young people and adults over the age of 15. The new government health campaign urges parents to make sure their children have had two doses of the MMR vaccine and to check they are up to date with all other jabs. In a video which will run on TV, radio and online, children tell their parents and carers: "If we're not vaccinated, we're not protected."
Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, said: "Worryingly we are continuing to see an increase of measles cases in some areas, most recently in parts of the North-West, where we know MMR vaccine uptake is low. The disease spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in schools and nurseries, however, measles is completely preventable with vaccination."
The data published in this epidemiological overview covers the period between 1 October 2023 and 04 March 2024 and is currently provisional, with the number of cases for the most recent months likely to increase as more suspected cases undergo confirmatory testing.