Health officials said cases of mumps and measles are on the increase in Wales and cases have been reported in all but two counties.

As the outbreak continues to spread and more people are catching the virus every week, the current total stands at 355. Health officials said the total number of cases of measles in Mid and West Wales was reported as 265 with five of those confirmed to be in Powys. The National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHS) records show that only the Vale of Glamorgan and Anglesey are measles free.

One new case of measles was last night confirmed in Swansea and a further four cases in Caerphilly, two in Monmouthshire and three in Newport. A total of 41 people, including very young children, have been admitted to hospital for treatment. The NPHS for Wales said it was also looking into 543 cases of mumps reported in the six months till June 28 this year. In 2008, only 329 cases were reported in the whole of the year.

The outbreak has been blamed on low MMR vaccination rates which are the result of fears of the vaccination leading to autism and bowel disease. As the worst outbreak seen in the area for more than 20 years continues to spread, parents are being warned to get their children vaccinated. Health officials put the figure of unvaccinated school children at more than 45,000 in the country who are at risk from contracting measles and mumps as a result.

Dr Marion Lyons, head of the health protection teams for the NPHS, said: "The numbers of new cases in Wales being reported each day may seem small but parents should remember that in some recent years in Wales, we have not seen a single case of measles all year, so new cases each day remains a cause for alarm. "Parents need to be concerned if their children are not vaccinated, regardless of where they live in Wales." GPs said there has been an increase of almost 50% in the numbers of people contacting them with fears they have swine flu in the last week. About 40,000 people a week in England and Wales are now complaining to their doctor of "flu-like illness", with a huge rise in the number of young being affected.