THERE are fears festival-goers could get measles at Chelmsford music festival RiZE.

Public Health England is advising people to ensure they have had two doses of MMR vaccine in the wake of an outbreak of measles across England – the majority of it centred in London and the South East.

Between January 1 and May 31 there have been 587 confirmed measles cases in England. London has had 213 cases and the South East 128.

Public Health England says the increase in measles is mainly associated with travel to and from Europe where there are large ongoing measles outbreaks.

Anyone who has not received two doses of MMR vaccine is at risk, but young people in environments where there is close contact and a lot of mixing such as festivals are more at risk, as well as unvaccinated people travelling to Romania and Italy, where there are currently large numbers of cases.

Young people and adults aged 15 and over who missed out on MMR vaccines when they were younger and some under-vaccinated communities have been particularly affected.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can sometimes lead to serious complications and can be fatal in very rare cases.

The MMR vaccine is available to all adults and children who are not up to date with their two doses.

Anyone who is not sure if they are fully vaccinated should check with their GP.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: “The measles outbreaks we are currently seeing in England are linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe.

“The majority of cases we are seeing are in teenagers and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine when they were children.

“Anyone who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had two doses should contact their GP practice to catch-up.

“This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at one year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age.

“We’d also encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR.

“The UK recently achieved WHO measles elimination status and so the overall risk of measles to the UK population is low, however, we will continue to see cases in unimmunised individuals and limited onward spread can occur in communities with low MMR coverage and in age groups with very close mixing.”