A MAP has revealed the areas most vulnerable to measles outbreaks as parents are urged to get kids vaccinated.
There were 49 cases between January and April this year — which is almost as many as the 54 seen in the whole of 2022.
The UK Health Security Agency warned jabs should be up to date before summer holidays and the festival season.
Local authority data has showed that only half of youngsters are protected against measles in parts of England.
The lowest uptakes are in London. By December, just 74.1% of five-year-olds in London had received two doses of the MMR jab.
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London has seen 33 cases of the disease this year - the worst in England.
In Hackney, just 55.2% of five-year-olds had both dosses of the MMR jab.
In the West Midlands, 84.5% have had the jab, while in the East Midlands 86.6% are protected.
In the North West, 86.4% of youngsters are jabbed.
In the South West, 90.7% have been jabbed. In the East of England that number stands at 88.5%.
Next is the South East with 97.6% and Yorks and Humber with 87.5%.
The MMR vaccine nearly wiped out the bug in the 2010s, but uptake tumbled and Britain lost its “elimination” status in 2019, when there were 880 cases.
Those numbers dropped again during Covid lockdowns, but so did take-up rates for the jab, which experts say has resulted in a global increase in measles.
NHS vaccines director Steve Russell said: “It’s clear that when vaccine uptake falls, infections rise, so I strongly urge parents to review the status of their child’s vaccinations.”
Measles is one of the world’s most infectious viruses and spreads by coughs, sneezes and close physical contact.
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Most people recover quickly from the disease, but the worst cases can trigger pneumonia, brain damage or death.
All kids are offered two doses of the jab at ages one and three.
Anyone can catch up on missed injections for free at any age.
