Greater Manchester has been confirmed as one of five places in the country where there has been an outbreak of Measles in the past week.
There have been 28 confirmed cases in Leeds, 18 confirmed cases in Liverpool, 7 confirmed cases in Surrey, 4 confirmed cases in Manchester and 13 confirmed cases in Birmingham.
All of the cases have been reported in children and adults who have not received 2 doses of the MMR vaccine.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and can sometimes lead to serious complications.
Children and young people who have not received 2 doses of MMR vaccine are at risk.
Unvaccinated people travelling to Romania and Italy, where there are currently large outbreaks of measles, are at particularly high risk say Public Health England.
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE, said:
The measles outbreaks we are currently seeing in England are linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe. People who have recently travelled, or are planning to travel to Romania, Italy and Germany and have not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine are particularly at risk.
This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at 1 year of age and as a pre-school booster at 3 years and 4 months of age. Children and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had 2 doses should contact their GP practice to catch-up.
How to spot the signs of measles
Measles is highly infectious, very unpleasant, and can lead to complications.
Symptoms include: High fever Sore, red, watery eyes Coughing Feeling achey Blotchy, red-brown rash
Measles is less common now because many children are vaccinated with the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab when they are a year old and a second dose when reaching the age of three years four months.
People with measles are infectious from the point at which the rash first appears.
Complications that can be caused by measles include diarrhoea, vomiting, pneumonia, bronchitis, hepatitis, brain infection and sight problems.
As measles is a virus, there’s no specific treatment if you catch it, but you can ease symptoms with painkillers and rest.
Anyone who is worried that they might have come into contact with someone with measles, or think they might have the illness, are advised to stay at home and contact their GP or call the NHS helpline on 111.
