London sees large rise in measles

Seven out of 10 children in London have been vaccinated for measles

A large rise in measles has been recorded in London, with 721 confirmed cases in 2008 compared with 424 in 2007, health officials say.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) blamed the rise on the lower uptake of the combined MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine over the past decade.

It recorded a total of 1,217 cases of measles in England and Wales last year.

Seven out of 10 children in London have been vaccinated for measles, below England's average rate of 83%.

The number of suspected cases of measles also rose in London, from 1,216 in 2007 to 1,697 last year.

Across England and Wales, the number of cases in November 2008 was the same as was seen in the whole of 1996.

'Epidemic risk'

The HPA said the decade of relatively low vaccination coverage was triggered by now-debunked claims of a link between the MMR jab and autism.

Dr Mary Ramsay, an immunisation expert at the agency, said: "The HPA is concerned that we may see measles epidemics take hold.

"We shouldn't forget that the children who weren't vaccinated many years ago are at real risk."

Although most children recover fully from measles, it can be a serious illness.

One in 10 cases requires hospital treatment and it can lead to pneumonia, brain damage and even death.

There were 990 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales in 2007.