Health experts have issued a warning to holidaymakers about a measles outbreak across Europe. 17 countries in Europe have reported cases of the Victorian disease.
“All countries, including those verified as having eliminated endemic transmission of measles, must be vigilant for possible importation and spread of this highly contagious disease,” said Dr Jose Hagan, Team Lead for Vaccine-preventable Diseases and Immunization at WHO/Europe, reports Birmingham Live.
"Most of the cases have been in London, although there have been cases picked up across the country and some are linked to travel abroad," the UKHSA wrote. Stats show Tajikistan has the highest number of cases with over 600, followed by Turkey with 466 and the Russian Federation on 414. The UK is fourth with 67, followed by Serbia on 40. Other nations on the list include Austria, Poland, France and Belgium.
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"There is no question, we're going to see a surge of cases if things continue this way," Prof Helen Bedford, an expert in child public health at University College London, told The Sun. "So far, we've only seen limited outbreaks across the country, but we're likely to see more," she added.
Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth. The first symptoms of measles include a a high temperature and a runny or blocked nose, as well as sneezing and a cough and maybe red, sore, watery eyes. The NHS says small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.
A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms. The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.
The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They're not usually itchy.
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