Cases of measles are on the rise, with more than twice as many suspected infections reported last year nationally compared to the year before. Some 1,603 suspected cases of the disease were reported in 2023, compared to 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021.

Parts of the Midlands have been among the worst hit by the wave of infections. Birmingham especially has seen a high number of cases. Between the start of last year and the end of the first week of 2024, the UKHSA received 71 notifications of suspected cases of measles in Birmingham, more than anywhere else in England and Wales.

In the same period, Leicester and the various areas of Leicestershire combined reported 41 suspected cases. Leicester had the highest number of these, at 15. The virus is highly infection and can have serious complications, especially for those who are very young. Symptoms include aching and feeling unwell, high fever, a rash (which sometimes starts behind the ears), sore red eyes, a cough, and a runny nose.

The rise has been blamed on vaccine hesitancy. The national uptake of the MMR vaccine, which also protects against mumps and rubella, was below the 95 per cent target in the 2022/23, at 92.5 per cent of children having received it by the age of five. This was down from 93.4 per cent the previous financial year and is the lowest rate of uptake in the last decade. Locally, the city also has a lower rate of vaccine uptake than the county, at 88.4 per cent compared to 94.9 per cent of under-fives.

Charnwood had the next highest number of suspected cases at nine, followed by Hinckley and Bosworth borough which had seven. Harborough district reported four suspected cases, followed by Blaby district, Melton borough and North West Leicestershire which each had two. Oadby and Wigston borough had not reported any cases.

Dr Ronny Cheung, officer for health services at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), warned that measles "at best will cause children great discomfort and at worst deaths" and the virus is "almost entirely preventable" with the MMR vaccine.

Dr Cheung told the PA news agency: "We have seen pockets of outbreaks over the country in the last year or so – there have been outbreaks in Wales and London – essentially it's due to the fact that vaccination rates for the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have come down and it is the lowest it has been for more than 10 years. In a nutshell, it is about vaccination rates."