There is an increasing number of people in London with measles and most of these are young children who have not had their measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are asking community leaders to raise awareness of risks in communities and areas with low vaccination coverage.

Measles is a very infectious disease which means it can spread quickly among communities, such as schools, nurseries, mosques and workplaces, if people have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine. While most people recover completely within a couple of weeks, measles can cause very serious illness – sometimes leading to permanent disability and in rare cases, death.

There is a version of the MMR vaccine, Priorix, which has no pork ingredients. You can request Priorix from your GP.

Riyadul Karim, Co-Chair, London Bangladeshi Health Partnership, said: “Vaccination with TWO doses of MMR is the only way to give people maximum protection. Measles does not just affect young children – anyone who has missed their MMR vaccination can get measles. So, if anyone in your family is not up to date with their MMR, contact your GP surgery to arrange vaccination as soon as possible.”

• More information on measles is available at nhs.uk/measles
• More information on the MMR vaccine is available at: nhs.uk/mmr