Public Health England has issued a statement amid a suspected outbreak of measles in Southend. 

It is understood eight people have presented with symptims similar to measles, all of whom attend local day services for people with learning disabilities.

In a statement the organisation said: "[We are] working with local partners to assess the situation and ensure that anyone who needs a vaccination to protect against measles, is aware.

"As an immediate priority, the council along with colleagues at the CCG and Southend Care are identifying and contacting those people who may have been directly exposed and are offering these individuals MMR vaccinations if they are not already immunised."

Dr Smita Kapadia, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at PHE, said: “Measles is a very infectious virus and can spread rapidly among communities if people have not been fully immunised.

“While most people who catch measles will recover completely within a couple of weeks, it's important to remember measles can be a very serious illness that can leave permanent disability, and occasionally even kill.

“The best way to prevent measles is through vaccination.

"If you are unsure about yourself or loved ones, check with your GP. Children and young adults should receive two doses of the MMR vaccine for maximum protection.

"Most older adults are immune to measles either because they have had measles as a child or because they have been vaccinated and are therefore unlikely to catch measles.”

Anyone with symptoms are also being advised to stay at home and phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice in the first instance to prevent the illness spreading further.

Dr Kapadia added: “If you think you could have measles, it’s also really important to stay away from areas where you could come into contact with lots of other people – so stay away from any social gatherings if you have symptoms, and especially from vulnerable patients in hospitals, care homes or other settings. Measles can be serious for these groups and spreads easily in these places.”

The advice is to: 

• Stay away from school, nursery or work until four days have elapsed after the onset of a rash.

• Telephone your GP or NHS walk-in centre before attending so that arrangements can be made for you to be treated in a separate area to prevent spread to other vulnerable patients.

• Avoid contact with people generally, but particularly babies, pregnant women and anyone who is known to have poor immunity to infection.