Double MMR jabs to fight measles

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Parents are being asked to give their children two injections within three months to boost protection against the potentially fatal disease to almost 100 per cent. It comes after fears over suspected links to autism and bowel disease led to a drop in the number of MMR injections, and a sharp rise in cases of measles - with a record 226 cases in south east London in the first five months of this year, compared with 167 in the area for the whole of 2007.

Dr Rachel Heathcock, consultant in communicable disease control at the Health Protection Agency, said: "MMR vaccination uptake is not high enough to prevent measles cases. We are trying to cover tens of thousands of young children." She said the measles problem started in north London last year and spread to Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark. She added: "The hotspot seems to be London, but people travel and if someone picks it up here they could take it elsewhere."

Children are given the first MMR dose at 14 months, and the second before starting school at around four years old. There were 971 measles cases in England and Wales last year, the highest since 1995.