A small measles outbreak involving three cases in the United Kingdom's Oswaldtwistle area is currently under control, but parents are being urged to vaccinate their children against the disease with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Only about 80 percent of the children in the area have been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, noted Health Protection Agency East Lancashire lead John Astbury. The uptake level "needs to be nearer to 90 [percent] or even 95 percent," Astbury asserted. Astbury explained that a measles infection is serious and could leave children sick for up to six days with side effects such as brain damage and deafness leaving permanent sequelae.