Cheltenham Races 2024: Residents urged to get jab ahead of festival

The event attracts tens of thousands of people every year.

Gloucestershire Residents are being urged to get the MMR vaccine ahead of the Cheltenham races.

The event is expected to bring large numbers of people into close contact from across the country - making a measles outbreak more likely.

Around 90% of Gloucestershire's population has the MMR vaccine.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend 95% to achieve herd immunity.

Health Consultant at Gloucestershire County Council Beth Bennett-Britton urged those who haven't got the vaccine to do so.

"It stops the virus being able to spread," she said, but added that when people don't get the vaccine "we have these pockets the virus [where] can spread much more easily."

Measles cases have been rising since late 2023, with clusters in a number of regions, including the West Midlands and London.

What is measles and what are the symptoms?

Measles is a highly contagious disease which is spread by coughs and sneezes.

• High fever

• Sore, red and watery eyes

• Coughing

• Sneezing

• Small white spots may appear inside the mouth.

A blotchy red or brown rash usually appears after a few days, typically on the face and behind the ears, before spreading to the rest of the body.

It can be harder to see on brown and black skin.

'Stay away'

Those who aren't feeling well are being urged to stay away from the racecourse to prevent the spread of the virus.

"What we would say is if people are unwell we recommend that they don't attend, they stay away so that they don't spread their bugs around," Ms Bennett-Britton said.

The festival has come under fire in the past when organisers went ahead in 2020 shortly before the UK went into its first lockdown.

Measles normally clears up within seven to 10 days. However, it can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.

Babies and young children, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system are at increased risk.