For San Francisco readers keeping up-to-date on world news, we are pleased to present this story from The BBC.

A large rise in measles has been recorded in London, with 721 confirmed cases in 2008 compared to 424 in 2007, the Health Protection Agency said.

The number of suspected cases also rose in London, from 1,216 in 2007 to 1,697.

The agency blamed the rise on the lower uptake of the combined MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine over the past decade.

Seven out of 10 children in London have been vaccinated for measles, below England’s average rate of 83%.

Last year the annual number of cases of measles topped 1,000 for the first time in more than a decade, standing at 1,049 cases by October.

‘Epidemic risk’

This exceeded the 990 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales in 2007.

The agency warned of a “real risk” of a measles epidemic.

It said the decade of relatively low vaccination coverage was triggered by now-debunked claims of a link between the MMR jab and autism.

Although most children recover fully from measles, it can be a serious illness.

One in 10 cases requires hospital treatment and it can lead to pneumonia, brain damage and even death

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

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