Parents urged to stop the holiday spread of measles

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The Health Protection Agency said London children who have not been vaccinated are spreading the disease.

Parents were issued with an urgent alert to take their children for the MMR jab before the school summer break. It comes as London fights a measles epidemic. Last month a 17-yearold from West Yorkshire died after contracting a deadly new strain that is rife in the capital.

The health agency fears children moving about the country during the summer could spread measles. Dr Roger Gross, of the HPA, said: "Measles cases in London have been the source for cases in both Cornwall and Yorkshire. It is highly infectious so can spread easily amongst unvaccinated children.

"If your child does become ill with measles it can be very serious and cause severe complications." Experts say the outbreak in London is down to a large number of parents refusing to get their children vaccinated after the 1997 autism scare.

Data released to the Evening Standard today reveals the problem is worst in Lewisham, with 148 new cases in the last six months. In just one week, from 9-15 June, 45 children in southeast London caught the disease.