First mumps, now measles is the big fear

A measles epidemic is threatening more than three quarters of London, a report said today.

Hundreds of thousands of children are not vaccinated against the disease and an outbreak could sweep the capital.

The Health Protection Agency, which monitors diseases and vaccine take-up, calculates that 12 out of the 16 London health districts are at risk. If the disease took hold, up to one in 10 children infected would need hospital care.

London's uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is too low following concerns, since discredited, that the jab could be linked to autism. Britain is already in the grip of a mumps epidemic, with 30,000 suspected cases so far this year.