What is measles?
Measles is an infectious disease caused by the measles virus. It can affect anyone of any age but is more common in young children under the age of four years. Measles is a notifiable disease, which means that if a doctor sees a patient whom they suspect has it, he or she is required by law to report it.
Measles is now relatively uncommon in the UK because of the introduction of the MMR vaccine in 1988 which offers protection against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles). However, uptake of the vaccine has fallen significantly since 1995, which has led to a number of outbreaks of measles in the UK. Between 1996 and 2007, cases of measles in England and Wales rose from 112 to 971 (Health Protection Agency).
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