Rising Cases of Measles in London Alarms Public

The public is alarmed with the rising cases of measles in London for the past weeks. Patients were identified as individuals who have yet to receive a vaccine for the disease.

Independent reported that around 20 measles cases were recorded in England with the highest in London (12 cases) and others noted in Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridge. The Public Health England (PHE) has already asked residents to have their Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

As per the record of the health office, those who got measles were mainly adolescents and young adults who were not yet vaccinated. Most of them have already been admitted at hospitals where they receive treatments for its symptoms like rash and fever.

However, it was also pointed out that measles cases are rare in England because of the vaccination of many residents. "While measles is now relatively uncommon in England thanks to the MMR vaccine, those who are unvaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, remain susceptible to the disease," said PHE's Virus Reference Department deputy director Kevin Brown.

He told Independent that those who are not yet vaccinated or those not sure of their vaccination should have the shot as soon as possible. "There's no harm in receiving an additional dose where there is any uncertainty," Brown noted.

The doctor also told BBC that the rise in the cases will not be as high as the Swansea outbreak in 2013 when 1,219 cases of measles were recorded "But there is still the potential for us to have an increasing number of cases, especially in young adults and they are the ones that tend to be hospitalized and don't do as well," he added.

Brown also explained that there is little possibility that measles will spread in school-age children. He claimed that most of the individuals in the age group have already received vaccinations.