Almost 90 cases of measles have been reported in a south London borough, with warnings that unvaccinated children could be excluded from schools.
Parents in Wandsworth have been warned by Public Health England to vaccinate their children following a sudden rise in cases ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Most of the cases have been found in school children aged between 10 and 19 years old who did not get their full set of shots when they were younger.
A number of schools have suffered “large outbreaks” of the disease, according to PHE.
The World Health Organisation declared the UK measles free in 2016, but the country lost this status earlier this year.
Due to the age range of the people affected there are fears the outbreak may be connected to the now debunked Wakefield report which wrongly linked the inoculation to autism.
Immunisation rates plummeted following publication of the paper, and in 2003/2004 it dropped to just 52 per cent in Wandsworth.
Andrew Wakefield was struck off in fallout over his report.
Dr Rebecca Cordery, immunisations lead at PHE’s South London Health Protection Team, said: “The symptoms of measles to look out for include cold-like symptoms, sore red eyes, a high temperature and a rash.
“If you experience these symptoms seek medical attention, but phone ahead before visiting a doctor so arrangements can be made to prevent others from being infected.”
“Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can lead to serious complications and while it is circulating in Wandsworth we are urging parents to get their children vaccinated.”
Cabinet member for health and social care Cllr Melanie Hampton said: “Measles isn’t a harmless childhood disease and some people go on to develop very serious complications so please make sure you and your children are fully immunised.”
Latest census figures show that around 61,000 children aged 19 and under live in Wandsworth.
Burntwood School, a Girls’ academy with almost 1,700 pupils, posted a letter from PHE and Wandsworth Borough Council on their website.
Signed by Dr Cordery and Shannon Katiyo, acting director of Public Health at Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, the letter warns: "A person with measles is infectious for about eight days, from four days BEFORE the rash appears, to four days afterwards, so any child with suspected measles should be kept off school for 4 full days after rash onset.
“Brothers and sisters who have not had MMR are very likely to develop measles too.
“They may need to be excluded from school for 21 days to protect the rest of the school from measles.”
The letter also warns parents to keep infected children away from babies, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems - like people being treated for cancer or with large doses of steroids.
It adds: "Since the end of September 2019 there have been over 60 cases reported in Wandsworth. The majority are schoolchildren and we have large outbreaks in several schools.”
PHE said that 87 cases had been reported from the end of September and 38 cases had been confirmed as measles after laboratory testing.
The MMR vaccine is delivered in two doses, one shot at a year old and another at around three years old.
More information about measles can be found here.
