HEALTH bosses warned today that York and North Yorkshire could be on the verge of a measles outbreak due to dangerously low take-up of a crucial childhood jab.

New figures have revealed that more than 36,500 children in the area are not fully protected against the potentially fatal virus.

Health experts said that with just three-in-four children immunised against measles, the level of protection was not high enough to avoid an outbreak.

GP practises in the county have been provided with additional supplies of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and parents are being urged to get their children immunised as a matter of urgency.

Dr Phil Kirby, associate director of public health for NHS North Yorkshire and York, said: “By delaying immunisation, parents are putting their children at risk.

“Current vaccine coverage is not high enough to remove the threat of a measles outbreak in the area.”

To be fully protected against measles, children need two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Ideally, children should receive their first vaccination around the age of 13 months, with the second being given between the age of three years four months and five.

If a child under the age of 18 has missed both doses, they can receive two doses a month apart.

For children under the age of 18 who have missed one dose, the second should be given as soon as possible.

Dr Kirby said: “Currently around 23 out of 100 children in North Yorkshire and York have yet to receive their second dose of vaccine.

“It is important to remind parents that their child needs both doses of the MMR vaccine to make sure they are fully protected.

“Measles is a very serious infection which may lead to pneumonia and encephalitis.

“One of the problems is that it’s impossible to tell who will be seriously affected by the illness.

“I would urge any parent with a child who has not been fully immunised to make an appointment with their GP as soon as possible.”

The previous success of the MMR vaccination programme reduced the number of measles cases to very low levels for a number of years.

But after being virtually eradicated from the county three years ago, eight cases of the infection were reported in North Yorkshire in 2006 – a figure that doubled to 16 last year.

Five cases of the virus have been reported in North Yorkshire so far this year.

Dr Brian McGregor, a York GP and director of North Yorkshire’s medical committee, said: “People have forgotten how serious measles is. It is a killer disease and it is incredibly silly not to have your child vaccinated.

“North Yorkshire is at risk of an epidemic at the moment and I can’t say strongly enough how important it is to get your child immunised.

“The research that suggested a link between the vaccine and autism has been completely discredited and I can reassure parents that it is completely safe.”