There have been 216 cases in the West Midlands since October 2023, with 80 per cent in Birmingham
Immediate action is needed across the country to ensure children are vaccinated against potentially deadly measles amid a surge of the infection, the UK’s top health body warned.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), urged parents to check if their children have had the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab as hundreds of cases were confirmed in the West Midlands.
There have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases of measles in the West Midlands, with 80 per cent in Birmingham, between October 2023 and January 2024.
“Immediate action is needed to boost MMR uptake across communities where vaccine uptake is low. We need a long-term concerted effort to protect individuals and to prevent large measles outbreaks,” Prof Harries said.
Oh lovely. So it turns out we in the UK are just as dumb as the Americans on this one.