The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has urged parents to ensure their children are immunised against measles following the release of data showing a ten-fold increase in the number of cases in the first four months of this year.
HPA figures for England and Wales for the first quarter of the year show 334 cases of measles in children and adults, compared with 33 during a similar period last year.
The worst-affected areas were London and the south-east, with 104 and 102 confirmed cases respectively.
It is thought the upsurge is possibly related to recent travel to and from Europe, making it easier for measles to spread in schools and holiday camps.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the HPA, said, 'We again are reminding parents and young adults of the importance of immunisation. Although MMR coverage has improved over the last few years, we cannot stress enough that measles is serious and in some cases it can be fatal.'
