A MEASLES sufferer is seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of the virus in Wirral.

The Health Protection Agency says there has been two confirmed cases, both children, and seven probable cases of the diesease.

None of the sufferers had been fully immunised.

Now the agency is strongly advising parents to ensure their children are protected by two doses of MMR vaccine.

And older teenagers and young adults who are not sure if they were vaccinated as toddlers should check with their GPs and arrange to be immunised if they find that they are currently unprotected.

Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, director of the HPA’s Cheshire and Merseyside health protection unit, said: “These cases in Wirral show just how important it is for parents to ensure that their children are given two doses of MMR vaccine.

"We are also reminding teenagers and young adults who haven’t previously been vaccinated that it is not too late for them.

"They should seek advice from their family doctors.

“MMR is a safe and effective vaccine.

"Two doses give full immunity against measles, mumps and rubella, diseases that can have serious side effects. On very rare occasions people die from measles.”

The agency is also warning that measles is circulating widely on the continent of Europe and particularly in France.

For that reason, it is strongly advising parents who are contemplating taking children on a continental holiday this summer to ensure that they are fully protected by two doses of MMR vaccine.

Doses of MMR vaccine are normally given at age 13 months and between the ages of three and four years, just before the child goes to school.

However, children of any age, including teenagers and young adults, can still be vaccinated if they missed out on immunisation when they were younger.

Two doses of MMR vaccine are required for complete protection.

The NHS Direct number is 0845-4647.

Click on the websites listed below for information on measles.

Measles Facts:

Measles is an infectious viral illness that is spread when infected people cough or sneeze.

The most common symptoms are fever, cough, sore eyes and a rash that develops three-to-four days after the onset of illness, starting with the face and head and spreading down the body.

Parents should not take children with suspected measles symptoms to their GP surgery or local hospital accident and emergency unit where they might risk passing on infection to other vulnerable children.

They should first seek advice by telephoning their GP surgery or NHS Direct, the 24-hour health information service.