Glestonebury Festival-Gourns It is urged to be checked for measles amid the increasing number of outbreaks of highly infectious disease.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that measles is “roaming across the country and the festival is the right place to spread measles”.
According to UKHSA’s June update, there are “ongoing outbreaks” of measles across England and London. Cases have been mainly in untouical children under 10 years of age, however, cases have been reported in young people and adults.
Glastonbury Festival is going on on 25 June And along with families, it also attracts other music fans. Health Protection Advisor at UKHSA South West, Dr. Alsadar Wood told ITV: “We want festivals to enjoy their time in Glstonbury and other festivals this year.
“Being aware of the current health risks will help those people enjoy their time, as much as possible.
“Khasra is roaming across the country, and is the perfect place for measles to spread festivals. If you are not fully vaccinated against measles, kanthamala and rubella, please contact your GP whether you can get an appointment before coming to the celebration”.
Dr. Wood said that the agency was also seeing an increase in cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) affecting especially young people.
He urged people to conduct quick testing to detect any possible infection.
With 127,350 cases reporting in Europe in 2024, measles cases with the World Health Organization (WHO) are increasing worldwide. It was double the number of cases reported in 2023 and the highest number since 1997.
France, Italy, Spain and Germany have already seen outbreaks this year, UKHSA urged people to vaccinate before traveling abroad.
In England, there has been a decline in childhood vaccination, which has led to many thousands of children unsafe.
UKHSA Advisor Dr. of Epidemiology. Vanessa Saliba said: “Measles spreads very easily and can be a bad disease, causing complications such as ear and chest infections and brain swelling with some children, which ends tragic in the hospital and suffer from lifetime consequences.”
The Glastonbury Festival has sold a “few thousand less tickets” this year, which was revealed by the organizer Emily EVIS this week to avoid congestion.