Pop-up clinics launched in Staffordshire to combat measles

Five pop-up vaccination clinics are being set up in Staffordshire after a rise in the number of cases.

The clinics will run throughout April in Burton upon Trent and Stoke-on-Trent.

Earlier this year, the West Midlands saw the largest outbreak of the infection outside of London.

Measles is a highly infectious disease which in extreme cases can lead to serious lung infections and inflammation of the brain.

The clinics have been organised by the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) in partnership with Stoke city council.

Matthew Missen, public health consultant at NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICT, urged parents to check their children's vaccination history.

"There are lots of celebrations at this time of year where families and friends will be mixing including Ramadan, Easter, and Eid al-Fitr. It's important that people are protected during these times of social gathering," he said.

"Most children in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are vaccinated, but a few may have missed vaccinations for many reasons - these clinics are an extra opportunity to bring vaccinations up to date.

"Measles can be really serious, and vaccination offers a high level of protection against a potentially dangerous disease."

Appointments at the clinics, the first of which opens at Tunstall Family Hub on 3 April, are not required, officials said.

Incident Room: Measles Outbreak: Why now?

BBC Health reporter Smitha Mundasad examines why the virus is back and what can be done to get rid of it.

Watch now on iPlayer

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