Jump in measles alarms experts
The number of measles cases in England and Wales has increased by over a third in just one year, according to figures published on Friday.
In 2008 there were 1,348 cases, compared with 990 for the previous year, the Health Protection Agency statistics revealed. The dramatic increase has been blamed on the low take-up of the MMR jab and has raised fears of an epidemic.
Dr Mary Ramsay, an immunisation expert at the Health Protection Agency, said, 'The year-on-year increase of measles across England and Wales is very worrying. Last year saw the highest number of cases since the current method of monitoring the disease was introduced in 1995. What is so alarming is that the majority of these cases could have been prevented, as most were in children who were not fully protected with MMR.
'Measles should not be taken lightly, as you can never tell who will go on to develop the more serious complications of pneumonia and encephalitis.'
Research published in January showed that the UK is one of the five worst countries in Europe for measles. The study, published in The Lancet, found that there were 12,000 cases of measles from 2006 to 2007, which mainly came from the UK, Romania, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
The report said that to successfully eliminate measles, 95 per cent of a country's population needs to be immunised with two doses of the measles vaccine. However, in the UK between 2002 and 2005, only 85 per cent of children were vaccinated by the age of two.
