Measles Outbreak: First Death Feared

Health officials say they are bracing themselves for the first death in the measles outbreak in South Wales, as 60 children are admitted to hospital with the disease.

Meirion Evans, consultant epidemiologist at Public Health Wales, told the Sunday Times: "We have had over 60 children who have been hospitalised with measles.

"Thankfully none of them have died but there is a real concern that that might happen. There is a very real concern that we might get a death."

She added that the number of measles cases is expected to double to 1,400.

On Saturday, queues of people turned up early at many of the emergency drop-in sessions to receive their free MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) jabs.

Health officials said over 1,700 jabs were administered in the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board area, which includes Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend.

In south east Wales a further 400 people received the vaccine in Ystrad Mynach, near Caerphilly, and 200 people had the MMR injection in Newport.

Further clinics are expected to be held next weekend and schools are also being targeted next week as officials try and prevent the epidemic spreading further.

Hundreds of people queued early at drop-in centres to get jabs

In Swansea, more nearly 700 people have been infected and at least 6,000 children remain unvaccinated in the south west Wales county.

Sky reporter Charlotte Lomas said: "While medical teams across Wales say they're thrilled that so many parents turned out on Saturday, they say the vaccination process is just beginning."

Health officials have warned around 40,000 children remain unvaccinated.

Before the introduction of the MMR jab in 1988, about half a million children caught measles each year in the UK. Approximately 100 of those died.

However, concerns over the jab's safety were raised in the late 1990s when surgeon Dr Andrew Wakefield produced a since discredited paper suggesting MMR was linked to an increased risk of autism.

Dr Sara Hayes, a public health expert, told Sky News: "This is a serious, horrible disease. We need to get rid of it."

She added: "I cannot stress enough how important it is for people to have their MMR. The number of cases and people being hospitalised with measles is continuing to rise and we can only stop it by protecting those we can against it."

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