Measles cases 'highest on record'

Health experts are blaming low uptake of the MMR vaccine

Almost 450 people have been struck down with measles in England and Wales during the first five months of 2006, the most since monitoring began.

The latest figures were released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) as it warned of a large scale outbreak.

London had 145 of the 449 cases. Surrey and Sussex came second with 106.

Dr Peter English, head of the Surrey and Sussex HPA, said he attributed the spread to parents being afraid to give their child the MMR vaccine.

Dr Mary Ramsey, consultant epidemiologist with the HPA, said although numbers were at their highest since the HPA began monitoring them in 1995, high numbers of cases had been recorded in previous years.

Confirmed measles cases in England & Wales in 2006 London: 145 South East: 109 East: 52 Yorkshire and Humberside: 41 North West: 31 West Midlands: 28 East Midlands: 25 South West: 12 Wales: 4 North East: 2

In 2003 there were 438 cases of measles, and in 2004 the number of cases dropped to 191.

Before monitoring started, Dr Ramsey said unconfirmed cases went into the thousands, with 86,000 unconfirmed cases recorded in 1988 when the MMR vaccine was first introduced.

She added that this year's cases did not constitute a national outbreak, but parents should ensure their child is immunised with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Last year, 77 people suffered from the potentially fatal illness in England and Wales.