There have been more than 80 cases of measles reported in Birmingham since the start of the year - five times as many as last year.

Outbreaks of the disease have been confirmed in England, with young people in their late teens and early twenties - who may have missed out when vaccination rates dropped in the early 2000s due to unfounded fears over the vaccine - particularly at risk.

The increase in measles cases has been linked with travel to and from Europe, where there are large ongoing measles outbreaks.

From the start of the year up to August 26, 86 suspected cases of measles were reported to Public Health England (PHE) in Birmingham.

Cases across England and Wales have now exceeded 2,000 in 2018.

The number of reports is 5.4 times higher than the 16 cases reported in the same 34 weeks in 2017.

In the 34 weeks ending August 26, 2,033 suspected cases of measles were reported to PHE across England and Wales.

The number of reports is much higher than over the same period in recent years.

There were 1,050 cases reported in 2017, as well as 1,140 in 2016, 850 in 2015, and 1,331 in 2014.

The Measles virus
The Measles virus

However, numbers are lower than in previous outbreaks, with 2,915 cases reported in the first 34 weeks of 2012, and 5,457 cases in the same period in 2013.

Registered medical practitioners in England and Wales have a statutory duty to report suspected cases of certain infectious diseases.

Not all of the reported cases will turn out to be measles, but figures from PHE suggest approximately half of reports are confirmed.

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Between January 1 and August 2018 there have been 859 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England.

During the same period, 1,844 suspected cases were reported, suggesting 46 confirmed cases for every 100 reports.

Cases were reported in most areas with London (300), the South-East (178), South-West (142), West Midlands (85) and Yorkshire and Humberside (83) reporting the most cases.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can sometimes lead to serious complications and can be fatal in very rare cases.

Anyone who has not received 2 doses of MMR vaccine is at risk, but young people in environments with close mixing such as festivals are more at risk, as well as unvaccinated people travelling to Romania and Italy, where there are currently large outbreaks.

Measles cases have reached their highest level for 18 years
Measles cases have reached their highest level for 18 years

Anyone planning to travel to Europe should check travel health advice.

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE, said: “The measles outbreaks we are currently seeing in England are linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe. The majority of cases we are seeing are in teenagers and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine when they were children.

“Anyone who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had 2 doses should contact their GP practice to catch-up.

“This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at 1 year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age.

“We’d also encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.

“The UK recently achieved WHO measles elimination status and so the overall risk of measles to the UK population is low, however, we will continue to see cases in unimmunised individuals and limited onward spread can occur in communities with low MMR coverage and in age groups with very close mixing.”