London, June 6 (IANS) The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Friday issued a warning about the continued spread of measles in England, highlighting the potential for a surge in cases during the upcoming summer holiday season.
According to the latest data released by UKHSA, there have been 420 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England since January 1, 2025. Of these, 109 cases were confirmed in April, and 86 cases were reported in May. London has seen the highest number of cases overall this year (163/420, 39 per cent) and in the last four weeks (35/75, 47 per cent).
The majority of these cases (276/420, 66 per cent) were in children aged 10 years and under.
UKHSA expressed concerns that increased travel during the summer holidays could lead to further spread of the disease, especially as measles remains endemic in many countries worldwide.
This year’s outbreaks have been seen in several other European countries, including France, Italy, Spain and Germany. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported that Romania, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria currently have among the largest numbers of measles cases worldwide.
UKHSA urged parents to ensure their children are up to date with their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccinations, Xinhua news agency reported.
“It’s essential that everyone, particularly parents of young children, check all family members are up to date with 2 MMR doses especially if you are traveling this summer for holidays or visiting family,” said Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA.
According to the World Health Organisation, measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. Measles spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.
Measles can affect anyone, but it is most common in children.
Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.
Any non-immune person (not vaccinated or vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected. Unvaccinated young children and pregnant women are at the highest risk of severe measles complications.
Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus.
–IANS
int/jk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
