Measles has a well-deserved reputation as a dangerous children's disease. In fact, it is so dangerous that cases must be reported, by law, to a health officer or Local Council.

Symptoms are many - a fever (at around 39 degrees Celcius), a cold, a barking cough, sore throat, eyes reddened by conjunctivitis with the child hypersensitive to light.

Tiny grey spots sometimes appear in the mouth just around the molar teeth after which, the rash appears, starting around the ears and spreading to the body and legs over a two day period.

The spots a clear red and grow bigger once they first appear - there can be so many that they begin to join up, though they only last for about a week before receding - though they may leave permanent brown marks on the skin. A child is considered still contagious until their temperature has returned to normal.

What makes children particularly vulnerable to Measles is not the disease itself (though that is bad enough) but the complications which can arise from it.

This include the particularly serious conditions of Pneumonia (from a secondary bacterial infection), inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media) and even meningitis or encephlitis (though these are rare).

Cases of measles had almost been eradicated in the UK thanks to routine vaccination. However, the MMR vaccine scare in recent years has led to some parents choosing not to have their child vaccinated against the disease.

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As a consequence, there has been a recent rise in the numbers of children contracting the disease.

Unborn babies are also vulnerable. Women planning a pregnancy should always have a measles vaccination if they have not already had the disease.