Measles surge sparks jab plea

A Leading GP is urging parents to make sure their children are protected by the MMR vaccine, amid reports of soaring numbers of measles cases.

Dr Kailash Chand, secretary of West Pennine Local Medical Committee, which covers Rochdale, insisted the vaccine was safe.

He said: “As a GP I meet worried parents every day who want to do the best for their children.

“My message to them is that MMR is safe, there is no link to autism, get your children vaccinated.”

Dr Chand’s plea follows reports that the number of measles cases jumped by 36 per cent in 2008, to 1,348 cases in England and Wales.

The rise has been blamed on a slump in the uptake of the MMR jab after fears about its safety.

Latest figures on the uptake of the MMR jab in England and Wales show that 84.5 per cent received the first jab by their second birthday.

The number of pre-school children receiving both doses of MMR by their fifth birthday is 78 per cent.