THE number of measles diagnoses in Gwent has risen nine-fold during April - and 'at risk' secondary school pupils will be targeted to receive the MMR vaccine from next week.

There have been 36 cases reported by doctors across Gwent so far this month, compared to just four each in February and March, with half of the April cases coming from Caerphilly county borough.

Aneurin Bevan Health Board yesterday began a programme of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination at Coleg Gwent campuses - with students at the Nash site in Newport the first to be invited to get protected.

And another MMR clinic is being provided this weekend, this time at the outpatients department at Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan, Ebbw Vale, on Saturday April 27, 11am-3pm. Almost 2,500 children and young people were vaccinated at one-off clinics on the last two Saturdays.

The number of cases in the Swansea area outbreak has now reached 886, and shows no sign of abating.

In addition to the Gwent increases, April has also seen cases in the Hywel Dda Health Board area (Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire) almost double, from 14 in March to 27.

As well as the 18 Caerphilly cases, in April there have been nine measles diagnoses in Newport, and three each in Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.

Not all of these cases are confirmed, being based on GP-reported clinical symptoms, but the increase is worrying, and public health experts are keen to provide an opportunity for as many children and young people as possible who may not fully protected against measles - or who are completely unprotected - to receive the MMR vaccine.

The secondary schools programme will begin next Monday, in Monmouthshire, chosen because this is the area of lowest uptake in Gwent for MMR.

Among 16 year olds in the county, first dose MMR uptake is below 84 per cent and second dose uptake is just 71.1 per cent, the lowest in Wales.