Public Health England is advising attendees at summer music festivals to be vaccinated against measles, amid worries that the events could allow for the easy spread of an outbreak.
In a statement, the government body said that music festivals “pose an ideal opportunity for the infection to spread quickly” and that “close-mixing environments such as festivals are more at risk” of the disease spreading. Anyone with symptoms was also advised to stay away from music festivals.
It comes amid an uptick in measles cases in the West Midlands, with three times more cases reported in the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2017. The West Midlands branch of Public Health England issued a more specific warning, targeting attendees of the BBC’s Biggest Weekend festival taking place in Coventry this weekend.
“Measles is spreading around the West Midlands and festivals are a hotspot for them to spread,” reads a statement on Twitter. “If you are going to the BBC Biggest Weekend and Biggest Weekend Fringe in Coventry, make sure you have had your MMR vaccines.”
As well as the Coventry event, Biggest Weekend is set to take place across three other cities around the UK this weekend – Swansea, Perth and Belfast – with performers including Taylor Swift, Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran and Florence + the Machine.
