London remains the second major national hotspot for measles cases, according to the latest figures.
Data released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that 14 per cent of all measles cases recorded in England in the past week were in the capital – the second highest toll of any region.
It remains significantly lower than the West Midlands, which recorded 69 per cent of all cases.
In December, health officials declared a national incident following a spike in cases in Birmingham - but the latest UKHSA analysis suggests that infections “appear to be stabilising”.
However, the UKHSA noted that clusters of cases have appeared in previously unaffected areas in the past week, including the North West and Yorkshire.
Measles spreads very easily and can cause serious health problems, including meningitis and pneumonia. It usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later.
In the last four weeks there have been 166 lab-confirmed cases including: 91 (55 per cent) in Birmingham; 20 cases in London, 17 in the North West, 16 in Yorkshire and the Humber, and 15 in the East Midlands.
It brings the total number of cases recorded since October to 521.
The number of infections is likely to be significantly higher as not all cases spreading in the community are subsequently confirmed in a laboratory.
The UKHSA has warned that hundreds of thousands of children in England are unvaccinated against the disease and “remain at risk of serious complications or life-long disability”.
The MMR vaccine is given to children to protect against measles, mumps and rubella as part of the NHS routine vaccination schedule. Children receive their first dose aged 1, and their second dose aged 3 years and 4 months.
Last month, the Standard revealed that the ten areas with the lowest MMR vaccination rate are all in London.
Children living in Hackney (60 per cent), Kensington and Chelsea (60.7 per cent) and Westminster (61 per cent) had the lowest rate of MMR vaccination of any local authority. More than a third of children were unprotected against measles in the three boroughs as of September last year.
The figures for London also suggest that many parents are not taking their children for their second MMR dose. In Hackney, 78 per cent of children had received their first dose, but this dropped to 60 per cent for the second dose.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “As expected, due to worryingly low MMR vaccine uptake in some areas across the country, we are now starting to see clusters of cases in other regions.
“While parents are coming forward to take up the offer of the MMR vaccine for their children, there are still hundreds of thousands of children who remain unprotected and therefore remain at risk of serious complications or life-long disability, but measles is completely preventable with vaccination.
“I strongly urge parents to take up the offer of the MMR vaccine now to make sure their child is protected.”
The World Health Organisation says that at least 95 per cent of the population should be vaccinated against measles to prevent it from spreading as it is so highly transmissible.
