Parents have been warned to check their children have had measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jabs before the summer holidays after new data showed a raised in measles cases in England. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported 49 cases in England between January 1 and April 20, compared to 54 cases for the whole of 2022.
Some 40% of cases were in children aged under five and 27% were in people aged 15 to 34. Most of the cases (67%) have been in London, though they have cropped up in other regions and some cases are linked to travel abroad.
Measles vaccinations have fallen in recent years, with uptake of the first MMR dose in two-year-olds in England being 89%, while uptake of two doses by age five is just 85%. This is well below the 95% target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to eliminate the disease.
