PRIMARY school children are being offered the MMR jab after an outbreak of measles on a nearby travellers site.

One child living on the site has been diagnosed with measles while two more young people living on the Hall Lane camp in Moses Gate are showing early signs of developing the illness. Bolton health chiefs were alerted by the Health Protection Agency of the measles outbreak.

NHS Bolton’s Public Health Team confirmed that one young person was affected and two more who were showing early signs.

More than a dozen youngsters living on the site have been immunised against the illness.

N o w , pupils at B o w n e s s P r i m a r y School in Little Lever are being offered the vaccination as the children from the travelling community attend that school.

Graham Munslow, health protection specialist at NHS Bolton, said: “As a precautionary measure, we immunised 15 children on the site. As all primary school-aged children on the site attend Bowness Primary School, a letter will be sent home to parents, informing them of an optional MMR immunisation session at the school on Monday, from 1.30pm until 4pm.

Measles can lead to serious complications, including blindness and in some cases death.

The illness is rare in the UK due to the effectiveness of the MMR vaccination.

But in May there were more than 200 confirmed cases of measles on Merseyside, which contributed to the worst outbreak of the disease since 1988.

If parents are unsure whether their child has already received the MMR immunisation, they should contact NHS Bolton’s Child Health team on 01204 462275.