People are being urged to ensure they have had two doses of the MMR vaccine following an outbreak of measles in the South West.

Information from Public Health England (PHE) revealed that between January 1 2018 and May 9 2018, there have been 440 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England. The South West is in the top five regions for the largest number of cases with 42 recorded.

The highest number was confirmed in London at 164, with 86 in the South East, 78 in the West Midlands and 37 in West Yorkshire.

PHE says the increase in measles circulation is mainly linked to travel to and from Europe where there are large ongoing outbreaks, particularly in Romania and Italy.

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

Anyone who has not received two doses of MMR vaccine is at risk, but young people in environments with close mixing, such as festivals, are more at risk.

The outbreak has mainly affected young people and adults aged 15 or over who missed out on the MMR vaccine when they were younger.

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. Anyone who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had two 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 one 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.”

Initials symptoms can include a runny nose, watery eyes and swollen eyelids, followed by greyish-white spots in the mouth and a rash which can appear two to four days later. For most people, the illness lasts around seven to ten days

The MMR vaccine is available to all adults and children who are not up to date with their two doses.

Anyone planning to travel to Europe is urged to check NaTHNaC travel health advice.