PARENTS across York, North and East Yorkshire have been warned to protect their children against measles after a recent outbreak.

North Yorkshire and the Humber Health Protection Unit has sent out letters through schools in York, North and East Yorkshire, urging them to act now after a sharp rise in cases.

With half-term upon us, parents are being asked to make sure their children are vaccinated before travelling abroad as a measles outbreak is sweeping continental Europe.

Dr Autilia Newton, director and consultant in communicable disease at the unit, said: “There is considerable risk your child may catch measles if they are not protected against the disease. Unless your child has already received two doses of the vaccine, we would advise you to obtain MMR vaccination before travelling to mainland Europe.”

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said 275 confirmed cases of measles had been reported in England and Wales from January to April, compared to 33 cases for the same period last year. Of these, 44 cases were in the Yorkshire and Humber region, with many linked to a recent outbreak in the Leeds student population.

Dr Stephen Morton, regional director at HPA Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “It’s never too late to get immunised with this safe and effective vaccine and we must not forget that the vaccine also protects against mumps and rubella.”