00:01Measles cases in the West Midlands are on the rise, prompting health authorities to remind
00:06parents to ensure their children are fully vaccinated before returning to school.
00:10According to data from the UK Health Security Agency, 25 lab-confirmed measles cases have
00:16been recorded in the region so far this year, compared with 76 cases in the whole of 2025.
00:24England as a whole has reported 96 confirmed cases,
00:27with the West Midlands accounting for 26% of all infections.
00:31The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles and mumps and rubella,
00:35is considered essential to prevent serious illness in children,
00:38and the UK recently lost its measles elimination status as announced by the World Health Organization.
00:44This decision reflected the spread of cases during 2024, when 3,600 suspected cases were reported
00:51nationally, and in the West Midlands, 329 of 465 confirmed cases between October 2023 and February
00:592024 occurred locally. Measles can cause complications such as ear and chest infections,
01:05fits, diarrhoea and dehydration in younger children, and in rare cases can result in meningitis, blindness,
01:11hearing loss or even death according to the UKHSA guidance.
01:16Dr Ash Banerjee from NHS England in the Midlands highlighted that the half-term break provides a
01:21natural opportunity for families to check vaccination records, including the new MMRV vaccine that adds
01:27protection against chicken pox.
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