Urgent warning for parents to get their kids’ jabs up to date as measles is on the rise

PARENTS are being urged to get their children’s vaccines up to date because measles is on the rise in Britain.

There were 49 cases between January and April this year — which is almost as many as the 54 seen in the whole of 2022.

The UK Health Security Agency warned jabs should be up to date before summer holidays and the festival season.

The MMR vaccine nearly wiped out the bug in the 2010s, but uptake tumbled and Britain lost its “elimination” status in 2019, when there were 880 cases.

Those numbers dropped again during Covid lockdowns, but so did take-up rates for the jab, which experts say has resulted in a global increase in measles.

NHS vaccines director Steve Russell said: “It’s clear that when vaccine uptake falls, infections rise, so I strongly urge parents to review the status of their child’s vaccinations.”

Measles is one of the world’s most infectious viruses and spreads by coughs, sneezes and close phy­sical contact.

Most people recover quickly from the disease, but the worst cases can trigger pneumonia, brain damage or death.

All kids are offered two doses of the jab at ages one and three.

Anyone can catch up on missed injections for free at any age.