THERE were no cases of measles reported in Gloucestershire in June as the national immunisation catch-up programme continues.
Figures released by Public Health England show that a total of 63 cases have been recorded so far this year compared to just three for the same period last year.
The catch-up programme aims to prevent measles outbreaks by giving MMR to as many unvaccinated and partially vaccinated 10 to 16-year-olds as possible.
Dr Shona Arora, PHE director for Gloucestershire, said: "While it’s too early to say the MMR catch-up campaign is responsible for the declining number of measles cases, we can say definitively that children who have not had the MMR vaccine remain at high risk of catching the disease.
"We urge parents of children that haven’t had the MMR vaccine to contact their GP and get them vaccinated."
Gloucestershire County Council is supporting PHE’s national catch-up campaign.Information is available at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/measles
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