All measles symptoms as infections TRIPLE in just months

England is facing sweeping cases of measles with more than three times as many infections so far this year than during the whole of 2023 - as a new map shows clusters of suspected outbreaks.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that more than 1,000 cases of measles have been confirmed by lab tests in England so far this year. That is more than triple the 362 cases seen all last year and the biggest outbreak in more than a decade.

The latest outbreak is thought to have started last October in Birmingham. Since then 580 cases have been confirmed in the West Midlands. But there have been clusters of infections in every region of England.

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Some 390 cases have been confirmed in London since the outbreak began, 130 in the East Midlands, 69 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 64 in the north west, 49 in the east of England and 48 in the north east.

The south east, with 25 confirmed cases, and the south west, with 19, are the regions least affected by measles.

Six in 10 of all infections (62%) were in children under the age of 10, but cases are also being reported in adults, with one in five cases (21%) in people over the age of 20.

The first symptoms of measles include:

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.

A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms. The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join