Irish parents are being reminded about the importance of vaccinating their children against measles, following a serious outbreak of the disease in Swansea, Wales.

Some 620 cases of the disease have now been reported there, with health officials warning that the outbreak shows no sign of abating. As many as 20 new cases of the disease are being reported every day.

Speaking to Irishhealth.com, Maurice Kelly of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), warned that ‘measles outbreaks in any country to which there is substantial travel back and forth between Ireland is a concern'.

"It potentially increases the risk of Irish residents being exposed while visiting and if infected they can then import the disease back into Ireland. Additionally, any residents of the country where an outbreak is occurring may also bring it with them to Ireland if visiting family or friends. In this case, when the outbreak is in Wales, it is potentially an increased risk to non-vaccinated Irish residents," he said.

A number of drop-in vaccination clinics have been established in Swansea in an attempt to ensure as many people as possible are vaccinated against measles. Last weekend alone, some 1,700 people availed of the clinics, however officials warned that some 6,000 children in the area remain unvaccinated.

Some of the reason for this has been blamed on a 1998 study linking the measles vaccine - MMR (measles mumps rubella) - to autism. The small study by Dr Andrew Wakefield was published in the highly respected medical journal, The Lancet.

Since then, many parents worldwide, Including in Ireland and the UK, have chosen not to have their children vaccinated with the triple vaccine. This is despite the fact that a number of studies since 1998 have found no such link with autism. Furthermore in early 2004, the editor of The Lancet, Dr Richard Horton, said that Dr Wakefield's study should never have been published as it was ‘flawed'.

In 2010, Dr Wakefield was struck off the medical register in the UK after the UK General Medical Council found him guilty of serious professional misconduct over the way in which he carried out the research.

Dr Wakefield was accused of carrying out, as part of his research, invasive tests on vulnerable children which were against their best interests. The GMC said he did not have the ethical approval or relevant qualifications for such tests.

The MMR vaccine is given twice - at 12 months of age and again at four-to-five years. The latest figures from the HPSC show that uptake in Ireland for the first vaccine is around 92%, while uptake at four-to five years of age is around 84%. In the early-to-mid noughties, uptake rates fell as low as 80% here.

Mr Kelly reminded parents that the vaccination is provided free of charge to all children.

"Children who have missed vaccines can avail of the vaccine from their GP or the HSE depending on the age of the child," he added.

To help keep track of your children's vaccines, see our unique Child Vaccination Tracker here