Health chiefs issue alert over 'highly infectious' disease spreading across Britain

UK wellness chiefs person issued an alert implicit measles (Image: Getty)

The Government's wellness chiefs person warned Brits of a "highly infectious" illness and urged the nationalist to get vaccinated.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the alert astir measles connected Wednesday morning.

Posting connected X, they wrote: "Measles is highly infectious. 1 idiosyncratic tin infect 15 different unvaccinated radical connected average.

"Being vaccinated helps support you, and others who can't beryllium vaccinated specified arsenic young and unborn babies."

According to the NHS, measles tin "cause superior problems successful immoderate people," peculiarly those who are not vaccinated.

If you're pregnant, getting measles tin origin premature birth, miscarriage oregon inactive birth.

That's wherefore it's captious to get extortion with the MMR vaccine, which provides semipermanent extortion against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Measles typically starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a fewer days later.

Small spots successful the rima besides hap for immoderate people.

The MMR vaccine is recommended for each babies and young children. A archetypal dose should beryllium offered astatine 1 twelvemonth aged and a 2nd astatine 3 years and 4 months old.

However, the vaccine tin beryllium fixed astatine immoderate age, and it's particularly important to get the jab if you're travelling to a state with a higher hazard of measles, you're pregnant, oregon you're a healthcare worker.

If you deliberation you oregon your kid whitethorn person measles, you are advised to interaction 111 oregon inquire for an urgent GP appointment.

In November, experts mapped the areas of England with the highest numbers of measles cases arsenic the state grappled with the biggest outbreak of the illness since disposable records began successful 1996.

England confirmed 362 measles infections done laboratory tests successful 2023. In 2022, determination were 53 confirmed cases, and successful 2021, lone 2 - though this was during a play erstwhile the state was inactive nether pandemic restrictions.

But successful 2024, determination were astir 3,000 cases of the disease. Nearly fractional of each cases past twelvemonth (45 percent) were discovered successful London, with astir 20 percent being recorded successful the West Midlands.

In 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that the UK had eliminated measles owed to the occurrence of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. However, this presumption was revoked 2 years aboriginal pursuing a surge successful cases.