More than a decade ago, British parents did not let their children to get measles shots because of a discredited research that linked the vaccine to autism. At least a million children missed the shots because of the flawed research.

The health officials are now scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of this contagious disease. More than 1,200 cases of measles were recorded this year in the U. K. and nearly 2,000 cases were reported last year.

The country once had records of only dozen cases every year, but now it ranks second in Europe.

Emergency vaccination clinics were held every weekend in Wales last month. The drives for immunization have also started at other places in the country. Officials are aiming to reach one million children in the age group of 10 to 16.

Dr. David Elliman, spokesman for the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health said that this is the legacy of the Wakefield scare.

Portia Ncube, a health worker at an East London clinic, said, "They see what's happening in Wales, so some of them are now sensible enough to come in and get their children vaccinated."

Clinic patient Ellen Christensen, mother of an infant son admitted that she previously had some doubts about the MMR vaccine, but after reading more about it, she realized that immunization is not only good for her children but for everyone.