MEASLES is one of those diseases that people of a certain age remember well from their childhood. What tends to be forgotten, however, is how serious the illness and its potential complications can be. The triple vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) was brought in 20 years ago after a measles outbreak in 1987 that killed 17 children. The death toll will shock many readers. Yet today, two decades after the MMR jab virtually eradicated measles and mumps in the UK, Worcestershire appears to be on the verge of a measles epidemic. Last month we reported on a major increase in cases. Another 18 were reported in the county during November. The reason for the increase seems to be ongoing worries about the safety of the MMR jab. For a number of years there have been fears, sparked by research by Dr Andrew Wakefield, that MMR was linked to autism. All further research discredited the link. Our view is there is simply no credible evidence that the MMR vaccination is unsafe. It was brought in to stop a potentially fatal illness claiming more lives and has largely been successful. To risk an epidemic on the basis of unfounded fears seems illogical. This newspaper has never shied away from criticising the authorities. Indeed, we are more often in conflict than in agreement with them. In this instance, however, we have no hesitation in supporting the county’s Primary Care Trust in its pleas for more parents to have their children vaccinated.