PARENTS in the region are being urged to get their children fully vaccinated after the largest outbreak of measles in the North-East for almost 20 years.

So far 37 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in the North-East this year and more than 100 suspected cases are under investigation.

This already exceeds the total number of measles cases in the North-East in the whole of last year, when 17 were reported.

Most of the cases have been reported in Hartlepool, where an outbreak has been underway for several weeks.

Last night officials from NHS Hartlepool said the number of confirmed cases of measles in the town has doubled to 22 and the number of suspected cases in Hartlepool now stands at 103.

Officials from NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington said that they had six confirmed cases in their area, together with more than 10 suspected cases. Measles is potentially a very serious illness which can, on rare occasions, be fatal.

It is highly infectious and is spread through direct contact with an infected person or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

While there is no treatment for measles, it can be prevented by the MMR triple vaccine.

Once the subject of controversy, NHS officials now insist that the MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective.

Two doses are required to ensure that children are fully immunised.

Special clinics are being set up in Hartlepool to immunise children who have not had any MMR injections.

The Health Protection Agency is advising the parents of children who are not fully immunised and may have missed a second MMR jab to make an appointment with their family doctor to have their child immunised.