Lynne Featherstone MP has expressed her concern as Department of Health figures revealed that measles cases In London have doubled in the last three months.

The Liberal Democrat MP and the Haringey Lib Dems began making enquiries following the outbreak of measles in South Wales.

In response to questions, Haringey Council stated that there was an adequate supply of the vaccine, and that Haringey had 88-90% vaccination coverage. They also stated that Public Health England was closely monitoring the situation, and that there was no evidence of measles spreading to the wider community in South Wales or in Haringey.

However, figures released by the Department of Health and Public Health England now suggest that Haringey has the fourth highest number of new cases in London, and only an 83% uptake of the MMR vaccine.

The Department of Health has now officially advised parents to get their children vaccinated.

Cllr David Winskill, Haringey Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, comments:

“The public are understandably worried about having a measles outbreak in Haringey because of the recent epidemic in Wales.

“It is very important that vaccination levels don’t drop here and we are calling on the council to carefully monitor the situation here in Haringey and take what steps they can to prevent an outbreak in the borough.

“We have asked for and received assurances from Haringey Public Health that adequate supplies are available to meet demand for vaccinations.”

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone commented:

“It is very concerning to hear that cases of measles are on the rise in London, with Haringey Borough in particular experiencing a number of new cases.

“17% of people in Haringey are not immunised against measles, despite their being an adequate supply of the vaccine. We need this percentage to decrease, in order to prevent measles spreading.”