Measles cases treble in first six months

Health authorities say that a worryingly large number of people are not vaccinated with the MMR jab [copyright: Daniel Paquet]

The figure has already exceeded the total number of incidents recorded in 2010 (497), with Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône the hardest hit departments.

In the Alpes-Maritimes the virus has affected around 100 victims so far, and there are concerns that people are not taking enough precautions against the illness. “A worryingly large number are not covered by the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine,” says François-Xavier Lorre, departmental director of the Regional Health Agency (Agence regionale de santé - ARS) .

Despite the rise in reported cases medical experts say that there is no need to classify the outbreak as an epidemic. “There has been nothing too serious,” says Denis Refait, deputy departmental director of the ARS, adding that “apart from a few cases, it [the measles] clears up after 10 days of rest.”

The ARS issued guidelines advising anybody who is concerned about the disease to be vaccinated again with the MMR jab, and highlighted that the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by air and direct contact.

If you are worried or concerned about measles and wish to seek medical advice, a list of English speaking doctors can be found on our website 

Tom Donnelly