Parents and carers are being urged to ensure their children are up to date with all routine childhood vaccinations, as new cases of a potentially serious illness continue to be recorded.
Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an alert over measles, describing the illness as “nearly twice as contagious” as the common cold.
Health authorities are calling on parents and carers to confirm their children have received all their routine jabs, including polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations, following a decline in MMR uptake in recent years.
In the four weeks leading up to June 22 there were 104 laboratory confirmed cases of measles in England, according to the latest data. Between January 1 and June 22 there have been 801 confirmed cases overall.
The vast majority of these cases (54%) were recorded in London, with 17% in the West Midlands and 11% in the North West. However every region has reported at least one confirmed case with symptom onset since January 2026.
Health officials caution that measles can lead to serious complications including “ear infections, pneumonia, and inflammation of the brain which require hospitalisation and on rare occasions can lead to long term disability or death”.
Any parent or carer unsure whether their child’s vaccinations are fully up to date is advised to consult their child’s red book (personal child health record) as a first step.
If you are uncertain about your child’s vaccination status or need to bring their jabs up to date, contact your GP surgery to check and book an appointment.
Measles typically begins with symptoms resembling those of a common cold, before a rash emerges several days later.
Some children may also develop small spots inside their mouths.
The rash generally starts on the face and behind the ears, subsequently spreading across the rest of the body. The spots associated with the measles rash can occasionally become raised and join together to form blotchy patches, though they are not usually itchy.
Measles is often referred to as a Victorian disease, owing to how widespread it was during that period. For further details regarding vaccinations, symptoms and when to seek medical advice, visit the NHS website.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
