THE Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council has visited schools to support pupils and health staff undergoing the measles vaccination programme.

Cllr Kevin Madge has continued to repeat his calls for parents to have their children vaccinated and was keen to speak to children and teenagers having the MMR jabs at school during a countywide programme to immunise at-risk children of secondary school age.

The county council have been supporting Hywel Dda Health Board and Public Health Wales since the beginning of the outbreak and particularly now that the vaccination programme has moved in to secondary schools in the county.

Speaking during a visit to Ysgol Dyffryn Aman on Wednesday, Cllr Madge said: “One issue that has become apparent is that there are many parents who continue to refuse consent, or have simply forgotten to fill in the consent forms for their children to be vaccinated at school.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of the vaccination – this outbreak is still very much a growing concern, and it is vital that parents act now before it is too late.

“I have heard about families where children and young adults have contracted measles and have suffered terrible complications thereafter.

“Health officials have reassured us about the safety of the vaccination, and as the outbreak continues to spread there really is no excuse to let your child go unprotected against this horrific disease.”