A MEASLES epidemic sweeping Cheshire has now hit Northwich.

The potentially fatal virus has been reported in two patients and the Health Protection Agency has warned more people are likely to fall victim.

A plan to immunise 10,500 children in a mass vaccination programme starts today, Wednesday.

Teams of nurses will visit 177 primary schools and 33 secondary schools across the county and expect to complete the vaccination programme by December 17.

Health officials are urging parents to allow their children to be immunised.

Dr Guy Hayhurst, from Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust, said: “We identified 10,534 children who had no record of full MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation and wrote to their parents to seek consent for them to be vaccinated in school.

“We hope that by doing this we will halt the current outbreak in its tracks, or at least severely curtail it.”

There are now 70 reported cases of measles across the county, with 16 cases reported in neighbouring Middlewich and 13 more in Winsford.

Dr Hayhurst added: “Measles can be a very nasty illness with a potential for serious side effects – in rare cases it can kill.

“MMR is a safe and proven vaccine. I would urge all parents to give consent for their children to be protected now and not to leave things to chance.”

The current outbreak is thought to be as a result of parents not having their children vaccinated over fears the MMR jab could lead to autism.

Measles is highly infectious. One in 20 patients will develop an ear infection, one in a thousand will contract meningitis and one in between 2,500 and 5,000 will die.

Symptoms of the illness typically include a fever, cough, red and painful eyes, swollen glands, loss of appetite and a rash. The rash tends to start around the ears and spreads to the rest of the body within two days.

People are infectious before the symptoms develop and around four days after the onset of the rash.