Another London measles outbreak

A second outbreak of measles was confirmed in London today.

The news came as it emerged that Britain's supply of the single vaccine against the disease - preferred by many parents to the controversial combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab - has run out.

One child in Edgware has been diagnosed as having measles and a further eight are being tested. All but one attend the Menorah Foundation Jewish VA primary school. The other lives nearby. None is thought to have had the combined jab.

Eleven children at schools in Streatham and Clapham have already been confirmed as having the disease and 18 more are being tested there. Four children from Gateshead also have measles and there are three suspected cases in nearby Teesside.

A spokeswoman for Barnet, Enfield and Haringey health authority, which covers Edgware, said: "We are tracking the disease and keeping the school and parents fully informed."

A spokesman for Barnet council added: "We understand none of the children have been admitted to hospital and they are making good progress. Most of the children at the school have had MMR. We advise parents to contact their doctor to discuss immunisation further if they have been in direct contact with cases of measles."

Clinics offering individual jabs have been inundated with requests over the past few weeks from parents eager to protect their children from measles but unconvinced by government claims that the triple jab is the safest way of immunising youngsters.

Public health experts have warned of a new epidemic of measles as uptake of MMR has fallen to dangerously low levels in London. The overall vaccination rate is just 73.4 per cent - compared with the recommended level of 95 per cent for the initial combined jab. In Barnet, vaccination levels fell to 78 per cent last year, from 91 per cent in 1996.

The UK's only importer of the single vaccine, Idis World Medicines, based in Surbiton, said last night that supplies had run out and it will not be able to get further doses for measles and mumps for at least six weeks due to "worldwide shortages" caused by the huge demand from Britain.

Since the Standard printed a list of doctors in London who offer the single vaccines on Monday they have been inundated with calls. Dr Richard Halvorsen, a Holborn GP, said: "We have received over 1,000 calls in the last week alone.

"It's been overwhelming. Last night I was told by Idis that I won't be able to get any more single vaccines for measles and mumps until mid-March at the earliest."

The Government's chief medical officer today attacked parents who give their children single vaccines. Professor Sir Liam Donaldson said: "If many of these middle-class parents could read the facts and see the scientific reasoning rather than reading what is selectively published in the media, I think that would help."

Sir Liam said it was "irresponsible and unacceptable" to offer separate injections, adding: "It would be playing Russian roulette with our children's health."

But he admitted the Government had failed to convince parents, saying: "We need to design our health information materials to convince parents. Maybe we haven't done that as well as we could."

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