MEASLES OUTBREAK CAUSES CONCERN

In fact, numbers of measles cases in the UK have risen to their highest level in nearly 20 years, experts say.

Surrey and Sussex, which share the same Health Protection Agency, could have up to 156 cases.

Last year there were just 77 cases across England and Wales.

The Surrey and Sussex HPA blames low uptake of the MMR vaccine for the outbreak. It says there have been 106 confirmed cases in the two counties with 50 more unconfirmed.

Dr Peter English, consultant at the HPA, said: 'We haven't had an outbreak as big as this in this country since the MMR jab was introduced in 1988.'

He said the outbreak was not a surprise as low MMR uptake had left a lot of people now susceptible to the disease.

Parents have been warned that the highly-contagious disease could bring on breathing difficulties, diarrhoea, ear, lung and eye infections and even swelling of the brain.

Dr English, urging parents to ensure their children have the initial vaccine and the booster jab, said without fast action there could be an outbreak similar to that in Dublin in 2000, when two children died and hundreds were hospitalised.