Measles cases in England and Wales rise sharply in 2008

The number of measles cases in England and Wales rose by a third last year, the latest figures show.⇓

There were 1348 confirmed cases of measles in 2008 compared with 990 in 2007, says the Health Protection Agency. The London region had the largest number of cases (662), followed by the North West (180). The South West (38) and Wales (39) had the fewest.

“The majority of these cases could have been prevented as most were in children who were not fully protected with MMR [the combined vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella],” said Mary Ramsay, an immunisation expert at the agency.

But now that fears about the MMR vaccine, …