Music festivals, including Glastonbury, blamed for sparking a measles outbreak
MUSIC festivals including Glastonbury have been blamed for fuelling a rise in cases of measles.
Public Health England said a “significant number” of cases had been linked to events.
There were 36 from eight festivals in the last two months alone, with 16 of those linked to Glastonbury.
PHE described festivals as the “ideal place” for the potentially fatal infection to spread — and said that at least three people are known to have developed symptoms before a gathering but still gone along.
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They were among 234 cases in the first half of this year — compared with only 54 in the same period of 2015.
Dr Mary Ramsay, PHE’s Head of Immunisation, said: “Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that sometimes lead to serious complications.
“If you think you might have measles, please don’t go to any big events.
“Measles isn’t common these days because most of us are vaccinated, but young people who missed their
MMR jab as children are vulnerable, especially if gathered in large numbers at an event.
“If you think you’ve got it, call your GP or NHS 111.
“Please don’t turn up at the surgery or at A&E as you could infect other patients.”
In 2013, an outbreak in Swansea led to 1,219 people being infected.