Parents are being urged to check whether their children have had two vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella following a warning the county could be at risk from an outbreak.

Essex County Council which has the responsibility for public health is backing a call for families to ensure that their children are protected from the highly infectious disease.

A spokeswoman from Essex County Council said that people in the county should not ignore the warning.

She said: “Although only some areas of the country have been affected so far, most areas like Essex have enough older children at risk to sustain an outbreak.”

The first MMR vaccine is given to children when they around a year old, followed by a booster before they begin school at around three and a half. Although research has found that many children in Essex did not have the follow up vaccination, putting them at risk.

Experts suggest that the current rise is due to fears in the late 90s that there was a link between the vaccination and autism, something which has since been disproved.

Essex County Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Mike Gogarty, said: “The only way to prevent a measles outbreak in Essex is to make sure there is good uptake of the MMR vaccine across all ages. Parents should ensure their children are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella with two doses of the MMR vaccine.

“It is never too late to get vaccinated against measles. I would encourage parents of unvaccinated children, as well as older teenagers and young adults who may have missed MMR vaccination to make an appointment with their GP to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“If you are unsure whether you or your child has had two doses of the vaccine, speak to your GP who will have a record.”

There have been two confirmed cases of measles in Essex since the start of the year.