A "call to action" has been made in the UK to stop the spread of worrying measles.
Cases of the illness have surged in parts of the UK with the country facing the biggest measles outbreak since the 1990s.
Chief Executive for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Dame Jenny Harries shared a warning over low vaccination rates.
"The focus this morning is on the West Midlands, but I think the real issue is we need a call to action right across the country," she said to BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.
Measles cases have spread at a worrying pace
GETTY
Pop up clinics have appeared in some parts of England to help more children to get vaccinated.
Measles is a high contagious illness most common in children but it can affect anyone who is not vaccinated.
A "national incident" has been declared with unvaccinated children in some parts of the West Midlands forced to isolate for weeks.
Some schools have put these measures in place where there are known cases.
Cases have notably surged in London, the West Midlands and Wales.
Dame Harries added only around 85 per cent of children going to school have had both doses of the MMR vaccine.
She added people have forgotten how "miserable" it is to get the illness.
Measles causes symptoms such as rashes, high fever and aches and pains.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Fewer children are being vaccinated
PA
Those who contract the illness can suffer from symptoms for seven to 10 days.
More than 300 cases of measles have been confirmed or classed as "likely" in the West Midlands since October 2023.
A measles outbreak was first reported in the UK in November last year.
Speaking at the time, consultant in health protection for Public Health Wales Sion Lingard said: “Links have been found between all seven cases so while there is currently no evidence of wider community transmission, measles is an extremely contagious infection and we are concerned that people who are not protected by vaccination could be at risk."
