Wiltshire has seen an increase in measles cases over the past month.

Since the beginning of April there have been 12 confirmed cases of measles across the county and further possible cases continue to be investigated.

And now, Wiltshire Council is encouraging parents to have their children immunised after latest figures show that nearly 6,000 young people in Wiltshire may be at risk from catching measles.

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the safest and most effective way to protect against measles. Measles is highly infectious and can be particularly unpleasant, potentially leading to serious complications, including blindness and even death.

Maggie Rae, director of public health, said: “Too many children and young people in Wiltshire remain susceptible to measles infection. It is never too late to protect our children and young people against measles, mumps and rubella.

"We would urge parents to ensure they contact their GP to arrange vaccination for any children who have not been vaccinated as a priority.”

"Two doses of MMR are essential to ensure protection and following the increase in cases of measles across the country a national catch up programme for MMR vaccination targeting 10 to 16-year-olds has been launched.

"We know that children aged 10 to 16 years are among those at greatest risk of being unimmunised due to the dip in MMR coverage that occurred in the late 1990s when concern around the now discredited link between autism and the vaccine was at its highest."

Parents are being asked to check the immunisation status of all their children to ensure they have received both of the recommended doses of MMR. If any of their children are unimmunised they should contact their GP surgery in order to arrange vaccination. GP practices will also be starting to invite 10 to 16-year-olds who have not received two doses of MMR to attend for vaccination over the coming weeks.

However, if people are concerned about their immunisation status they should not wait to receive a letter before they come forward.

Analysis carried out by Wiltshire Public Health suggests almost 6,000 young people in the county may be at risk of catching measles.

In total 3,300 children and young people aged five to 18 have been identified who are believed to be unimmunised and have no history of having any MMR vaccinations. A further 2,500 children have been identified as only partially immunised – having received one dose of MMR but not the second ‘booster’ dose.