The United Kingdom is concerned about the further spread of measles as the country has declared a national health incident.
The chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Jenny Harries, announced an increase in measles cases in recent months and urged parents across the country to vaccinate their children against the disease.
“This is a nationwide call for all parents to check their children's vaccination rates,” Harries said in an interview with BBC Radio 4.
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A one-dose vial of the mumps and rubella virus vaccine, manufactured by MERCK, is being held at the Salt Lake County Health Department in Salt Lake City. (George Frey/Getty Images)
Officials point to a decline in measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine acceptance rates over the past decade, with only 85% of children fully inoculated.
“We are well below the recommended coverage for the MMR vaccine,” Harries continued. “This is clearly not where we want the vaccination program to be. We want it to be 95%.”
The UK is currently experiencing a measles outbreakwith more than 1,600 people in England and Wales contracting the highly contagious disease in 2023, up from 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021, according to reports.
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“As expected, we are seeing that trend shift more towards other areas, particularly in the city centre, where we know vaccination rates are low and we know large numbers of children will congregate,” Davies said.
A photograph shows the skin of a patient affected by measles. (iStock)
The UKHSA published data this week confirming 216 cases of the disease in the West Midlands region since last October, with an additional 103 probable cases.
Approximately 80% of reported cases were traced back to Birmingham and a further 10% to Coventry.
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This highly contagious disease can be serious and even fatal for young children.
In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared measles “eliminated” in the US, meaning there were no cases for at least 12 months.
The WHO could be forced to rescind that designation if outbreaks continue for more than a year.
Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
