Measles roadshow to tour UK

A new roadshow that aims to raise awareness of the dangers associated with measles is set to tour the country, the Department of Health has announced.

The roadshow is an element of a new campaign that has been designed to increase measles vaccination rates.

Measles: Is your child safe? has been developed after recent figures suggested that more than two million youngsters in the UK are at risk from the condition because they have not received either their first or second MMR vaccination.

Introduced in 1988, the MMR vaccination protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

Towns and cities identified as “measles hotspots” will be part of the tour. These include Manchester, Liverpool, Guildford and Brighton.

Professor David Salisbury, director of immunisation at the Department of Health, commented: “The number of cases of measles is on the increase and we need to warn all parents about the potential dangers of this infection.”