MEASLES may be on the rise nationwide because of a backlash against vaccination but in Worcestershire cases are low.

The Health Protection Agency has recorded 480 cases of measles nationwide this year but just 10 of those were in the West Midlands, none of which are believed to be in Worcestershire.

Officials fear that the number of cases will beat last year's nationwide 10 year high if it continues to rise at the same rate.

However, a spokesman for the HPA said there were only 10 cases in the whole of the West Midlands.

The HPA spokesman was unable to confirm how many of these 10 cases were in Worcestershire but Debbie Ryding, founder of the Desumo Clinic in Worcester, said she had not heard of any and the Primary Care Trust was legally obliged to inform her of any.

The Desumo Clinic offers single jabs for measles, mumps and rubella because of health concerns about the combined vaccine.

Mrs Ryding said there was "absolutely no backlash against" vaccination and that her clinic had successfully vaccinated 15,000 children.

The clinic has a 99 per cent success rate for vaccinating against measles.

She said single vaccinations were rarely recorded compared to the combined MMR jab.

Mrs Ryding added: "There is no backlash against vaccines but the single vaccines are not being taken into account. If there is a case of measles in Worcestershire the Primary Care Trust has a legal requirement to let us know."

A spokesman for the HPA said: "We have a fairly good take up of the MMR vaccine in the West Midlands but there is always room for improvement."

One of the worst affected areas was the London borough of Hackney which had 120 cases.

The figures are highest in the east and south east of England so far this year.

Doctors and the HPA have said they are concerned about the number of cases.

In previous decades mesales was a bigger problem, causing an average of 20 deaths a year.

The latest figures from the HPA suggest that 88 per cent of children begin school having only one dose of MMR although Mrs Ryding says single vaccinations are not being included.