MEASLES is on the rise in Worcestershire with 18 cases reported last month as fears of an epidemic continue.

There were 18 suspected cases in Worcestershire, 14 in Staffordshire and 42 in Warwickshire in November.

There have been three further cases since the last report in the Worcester News just over a week ago, when health bosses warned we were “on the cusp of a measles epidemic”.

The Health Protection Agency and Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, which manages the work of county doctors, want more parents to have their children immunised with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

Children are given their first MMR vaccination aged 13 months, topped up with a second dose at three years and four months of age.

The national target is for 95 per cent of children to be immunised with their first MMR jab before they are two.

The Worcestershire figure is 86 per cent (April to June), lower than the west Midlands average (88 per cent) but higher than the average for England (82 per cent).

By five years old, 88 per cent of children have had their first jab and 78 per cent have had both jabs in Worcestershire, again lower than the west Midlands average but higher than England.

Dr Gillian Smith, regional immunisation lead for the Health Protection Agency in the west Midlands, said: “I can’t stress enough how vital it is that those people who haven’t yet been immunised book their MMR jab.

“Most cases are among children so we are urging all parents to ensure that their children are immunised with two doses of the vaccine.

“Measles is an unpleasant illness even in its mildest form. The complications can be severe, sometimes long-lasting, and on rare occasions can result in death. The safest way to avoid this is with two doses of the MMR vaccine.”

Mother-of-seven Debbie Ryding who founded the Desumo Clinic in Dines Green, Worcester, which offers the three jabs separately, said immunisation was low because of parents’ fears about the risks associated with the MMR jab, which some people have linked to autism.

She has seen rising demand for the single jabs and 350 people were vaccinated last month.

The link between autism and MMR is disputed by Dr Ash Banerjee, public health consultant for the PCT, who says MMR is the most effective immunisation method.

Measles is most common among children aged between one and four, but anyone who has not been immunised can catch it.

Complications of measles include pneumonia, ear and eye infections, and croup, an infection of the lungs and throat. More serious complications, such as inflammation of the brain are rarer but can be fatal. There are a million deaths worldwide from measles every year. More information is available at immunisation.nhs.uk.