Anderson returns to England squad

Venue: The Rose BowlDate: 16-20 JuneStart time: 1100 BST each dayCoverage: Live ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave & BBC Sport website; live video scorecard on Red Button (not Freeview); live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobile; watch live on Sky Sports (subscription required); highlights on Channel 5 England missed Anderson's variety during the drawn second Test James Anderson has been recalled to the England squad for the third Test against Sri Lanka, starting on Thursday at the Rose Bowl.

The seamer picked up a side strain injury in the surprise first Test win before missing the drawn second Test.

Anderson will have the chance to prove his fitness in Lancashire's Twenty20 match at Worcestershire on Sunday.

His England return is likely to mean one of Stuart Broad, Steve Finn or Chris Tremlett being dropped.

While Broad, Finn and Tremlett offer height and pace, the trio, along with spinner Graeme Swann, struggled to take 20 wickets against Sri Lanka.

Anderson provides variety to the attack with his ability to swing the ball and, if he comes through the T20 match on Sunday, is set to be an automatic choice for the first Test match to be played at the Rose Bowl.

England national selector Geoff Miller said: "Jimmy Anderson is the leader of our bowling attack so clearly he will be a significant inclusion should he get through Lancashire's Friends Life Twenty20 match against Worcestershire unscathed.

"Side strains can be particularly troublesome for bowlers but given Jimmy's injury was a grade one strain and therefore a low grade injury, he is expected to be fit for selection.

"A period of rest and recovery has certainly been beneficial and we obviously wouldn't include Jimmy in the squad if the medical staff weren't confident of his fitness."

On the selection dilemma facing England's management, Miller added: "When you start being a successful side you do have to make difficult decisions so we will wait and see what the conditions are in Southampton and make the decision accordingly."

Anderson comes in for Jade Dernbach, who was named in the 12 for the second Test at Lord's but remains uncapped after not playing.

"I've had a chat with Jade and explained the situation but he now knows what the England set-up is all about, and we widen the squad," said Miller.

Other than the inclusion of Anderson, England are unchanged and, even though they had to settle for a draw last time out, Kevin Pietersen's second innings 72 provided encouragement that he is returning to form.

"He'll be pleased himself," said Miller. "Kevin Pietersen is a top quality player, we know that.

"He's had a tough time. He had a bad run and, yes, it eases the condition for him the fact that he knows he can score runs internationally and again he has proved it."

England squad v Sri Lanka, The Rose Bowl, 16-20 June: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

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Measles returns

13 May 2011 Last updated at 23:13 GMT By Philippa Roxby Health reporter, BBC News Measles is particularly dangerous in young infants but anyone can get the disease at any time. In the 1990s, experts thought they were close to eliminating measles for good.

But now the World Health Organization (WHO) has put back its target date for getting rid of the disease to 2015. But even that seems unlikely.

The reason? A measles outbreak which is spreading across Europe, affecting France, Belgium, Germany and Romania - and now the UK.

Other significant outbreaks are taking place in Serbia, Spain, Macedonia and Turkey, the WHO says.

Over the last few months, the Health Protection Agency has seen an increase in measles cases in children and young adults in England and Wales.

Their figures show that between January and April, 275 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles were reported, compared to 33 cases for the same period the previous year.

The HPA says these cases are, "associated with either recent travel abroad or small clusters in mainly unvaccinated children and young adults between the ages of 10-24."

Health protection units across England and Wales are warning parents to make sure their children have received two doses of the MMR vaccine before travelling to mainland Europe in the next few months.

They are particularly concerned that as families plan summer holidays on the continent, and schools organise trips and exchanges abroad, unvaccinated children and young adults will be at risk.

Continue reading the main story It is a highly infectious viral illnessIt causes a fever, coughing and distinctive red-brown spots on the skinYou catch measles by breathing in tiny droplets created when an infected person coughs or sneezesPossible complications include pneumonia, ear and eye infections and croupSerious complications include inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), which can be fatalMeasles in pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature labour or a baby with low birth weightThe most effective way of preventing measles is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccineThere is no link between the MMR vaccine and autismDr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the Health Protection Agency, said: "Measles is a highly infectious and dangerous illness which spreads very easily particularly in schools and universities. It is crucial that children and young adults are fully immunised with two doses of MMR."

Letters have been sent to some primary schools and further education colleges in London, where confirmed measles cases have reached 86 so far this year.

Dr David Elliman, consultant community paediatrician at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, has noticed a rise in cases and says it is never too late to be vaccinated.

"Anybody can get measles at any time, but it's particularly dangerous in very young children and young adults. Any opportunity people have to visit their GP and ask for the vaccine should be taken."

He says one in 15 people have complications with measles and one in 1,000 will die of it, but that the two doses of MMR will protect people against the disease.

"Figures show 84% of children had received their second dose of the MMR vaccine by the age of five but we need 95% uptake to stop it going around - and we are still not there," Dr Elliman says.

The situation in France, however, is considerably worse.

A measles epidemic has officially been declared there, with nearly 5,000 cases reported between January and March this year. The is almost equal to the total number of cases reported in France (5,090) during the whole of 2010.

The WHO says France is taking immediate steps to control the outbreaks by vaccinating infants at nine months of age and offering the vaccine to all unimmunised or under-immunised people over that age.

The MMR injection is the only way to protect against measles.

Dr Rebecca Martin, the WHO's programme manage for vaccination and preventable diseases in Europe, believes the reason numbers of measles cases in France are so high is down to complacency.

"In France they didn't see the disease any more so people thought there was no need to get their children immunised. Rather than put them through two injections and, possibly, a fever afterwards... Their perception of the risk changed."

The organisation which oversees public health in France, Institut de Veille Sanitaire (INVS), is worried.

In a newspaper article, Francoise Weber, the director of INVS, estimated that the cases already confirmed by health professionals in France are only "the tip of the iceberg".

But measles can be eliminated in Europe, the WHO's Dr Martin says.

"In the Americas, measles was eliminated in 2002. There are no indigenous cases there now because everyone has been immunised, so it can be done. But it's a slow process and we need to accelerate our efforts."

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