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  • Hello everyone! I'm Charlene from BBC

  • Learning English.

  • Today we're talking about measles,

  • a disease which kills thousands of people

  • around the world every year.

  • The World Health Organisation has just announced

  • that the number of measles cases in Europe

  • in 2017 was four times the rate for the previous year.

  • Experts say that this worrying trend is partly due to a fall

  • in immunisation rates - and one reason for this

  • is public fear about the safety of vaccinations.

  • Everybody's talking about it,

  • and I'm asking three questions

  • to find out the actual words

  • that people are saying. Question one.

  • Are you concerned about the rise in measles in Europe?

  • Yes, definitely. As a mother of a young child anyway,

  • I've always made sure she's had all

  • her vaccinations on time and it gives me peace of mind.

  • Yes, yeah I am concerned about that.

  • If, you know, people aren't being vaccinated,

  • and it's important to get vaccinated, definitely.

  • Err... no. No.

  • Do you think people are right to worry

  • about the safety of vaccinations?

  • I don't think so. I think the record is that

  • they're proved to be quite safe.

  • Yes, I do, because, I mean for example

  • the flu vaccination now, I wonder

  • how much of that is relevant,

  • or necessary ... because you are still giving

  • part of the actual disease or illness

  • I wouldn't say they need to worry, but I think

  • they should take it seriously and act responsibly.

  • Some people want measles vaccinations to be made

  • compulsory by law. Would you go along with that?

  • I would actually, yeah,

  • because it helps the others as well

  • ... I would agree with that, I would.

  • At the end of the day I think it should be left up to

  • the individual to decide,

  • but for something as serious as that,

  • then maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea.

  • I think everybody's got their own right to choose

  • ... I think if they can promote it positively,

  • then more people will choose to have it done.

  • So there you go: Everybody's talking about measles

  • and now you can too!

  • There's a recap coming up in just a second -

  • but before I go don't forget you can find out more

  • about this topic at BBC Learning English dot com,

  • you can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

  • and YouTube - and get talking! See you next time!

Hello everyone! I'm Charlene from BBC

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