The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7406 p742
24 June 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

Measles hits 10-year high

There have been more confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales already this year than in any year in the past decade, according to reports received by the Health Protection Agency.

However, the HPA says that public confidence in the MMR vaccine is improving, with immunisation among two-year-olds at 83 per cent in June 2005 compared with 78.9 per cent in January 2003.

The HPA says that the largest outbreaks this year have been in the Surrey, Sussex and South Yorkshire areas, in communities where MMR uptake is lower. Several cases have involved travelling communities, which are harder to reach with vaccination programmes.