PARENTS are being urged to get their kids vaccinated against measles before heading abroad following outbreaks across Europe.
The plea comes as new figures show there were 1,293 confirmed cases of the highly infectious disease in 17 countries in April alone.
"If you have plans to go to Europe this summer, don’t spoil your holiday by running the risk of an attack of measles which might result in hospitalisation," Professor Helen Bedford, from University College London, told The Sun.
"Cases are rising in popular holiday destinations such as Spain.
"Measles is incredibly infectious and can also be very serious, particularly in young children and in adults.
I'm a flight attendant who only carries hand luggage on holiday - here's how
"The only way to protect yourself and your children against measles is by vaccination."
Which countries are worst affected?
Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDP) shows that while measles cases in April were lower than the 1,671 reported in March, they had increased by over 1,000 per cent when compared to this time last year.
In April, Romania, Poland and Belgium reported the largest number of cases with 957, 84 and 96 respectively.
Belgium was next with 76 incidences, followed by France with 71 and Austria with 43.
The Netherlands was behind with 12 cases, Ireland nine, Spain eight and Portugal seven.
Sweden, Lithuania and Cyprus all reported five infections.
Denmark and Greece both reported three cases.
Croatia and Hungry reported two infections and Estonia recorded just one.
The remaining countries reported no cases, or no data, in April.
There have been 10,887 cases of measles across the continent during the last 12 months, according to the ECDP. Seven people have died.
I'm a pilot - the passenger habit that drives me mad and I bet you're guilty
The majority (87 per cent) of those who tested positive were unvaccinated.
GET JABBED
Prof Bedford urged anyone who may have missed out to get their catch-up doses
"There is still time to have the two doses of MMR needed for best protection," she said.
"There is no upper age limit to have this vaccine."
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued similar warnings earlier this month after revealing there had been a rise in measles cases compared to previous years.
It cautioned Brits that jabs should be up to date before summer holidays and the festival season.
There have already been 67 cases between January and April this year, which is more than the 56 seen in the whole of 2022.
"Most of the cases have been in London, although there have been cases picked up across the country and some are linked to travel abroad," the UKHSA wrote
And vaccinations for the deadly disease are at a 12-year low, official figures reveal.
Only 84 per cent of kids have had both MMR (measles, mumps and ruebella) vaccine doses by age five; this figure needs to be above 90 per cent to stop outbreaks.
A staggering 3.4million under-16s in Britain are at risk of catching the virus as they have only had one or neither MMR jab.