Nursery World - NHS launches campaign to boost uptake of MMR vaccine and avoid a measles epidemic

Parents are being advised to make sure their children are vaccinated against measles amid concern London could see an outbreak of the virus with tens of thousands of cases.

The NHS is urging parents to make sure their children are up-to-date with their MMR vaccinations, PHOTO: NHS

NHS England has launched a campaign to encourage all parents to make sure their children have had their MMR vaccination, which is administered as two doses – the first just after their first birthday, and the other, at around the age of three years and four months.

It follows a warning from the UK Health Standards Agency (UKHSA) that unless MMR vaccination rates improve, London could see a measles outbreak of between 40,000 and 160,00 cases.

While outside London, there could be smaller outbreaks in specific populations including young people and under vaccinated communities.

The latest data shows that while most children are fully protected with both doses of MMR, one in ten five-year-olds in England are not – and in some areas of London up to two in five children are unprotected. This is below the World Health Organisation’s recommended level of 95 per cent vaccinated.

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