West London measles warning as nearly 200 cases recorded by Public Health England nationwide - here are the symptoms to look out for

During the first four weeks of January, seven suspected cases of measles were reported in west London

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Claire Miller

05:00, 3 FEB 2018

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Seven suspected cases of measles have been reported in west London during the first month of 2018 alone.

Public Health England (PHE) is warning people to be vigilant after a significant spike across the country at the start of the year.

Nearly 200 cases have been recorded nationally.

The number of suspected cases in west London is up from six during the same period last year.

While not all cases were confirmed to be measles, in the first four weeks of 2018, there were two cases reported in Kensington and Chelsea and two more in Ealing.

On top of this, there was one case reported each in Hillingdon, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham.

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According to PHE, this number is higher than in the same period for the previous two years.

Across England and Wales, 183 suspected cases of measles were reported within the first four weeks.

This is higher than in the same period in the previous two years, when 86 cases were reported in 2016/17 and 98 in 2015/16.

The number of reported measles cases across England and Wales is at its highest level for this time of year since 2013, when 325 cases were reported in the first four weeks of January.

This was when there was a major measles outbreak in England and Wales between November 2012 and July 2013,
primarily concentrated in Wales but with high numbers of cases in the north of England.

There has been an outbreak of measles cases in west London (Image: PA)

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE, said: “This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at one year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age.

"Children and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had 2 doses should contact their GP practice to catch-up."

She added: “We’d also encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.

"The UK recently achieved WHO measles elimination status and so the overall risk of measles to the UK population is low.

"However, due to ongoing measles outbreaks in Europe, we will continue to see cases in unimmunised individuals and limited onward spread can occur in communities with low MMR coverage and in age groups with very close mixing.”

A histopathology of measles pneumonia is seen in this microscope image (Image: Getty Images North America)

What are the symptoms of measles?

Symptoms tend to start around one to two weeks after exposure to an infectious case.

People are infectious from their first symptoms to four days after the rash appears.

Those who catch measles are generally very unwell and frequently admitted to hospital.

Here are the symptoms to look out for:

High fever
Runny nose
Conjunctivitis
A cough
A rash starting at the head and spreading to the trunk and limbs

Complications from measles, including pneumonia, are common and the death rate is approximately one in
5,000 cases in the UK.

The MMR vaccine is available to adults and children who are not up to date with their two doses.

Routinely the first dose of MMR is given between 12 and 13 months of age and the second at three years and four months of age, before starting school.