Parents urged to ensure children vaccinated amid new school year measles concern

Health officials have issued a warning over a potential surge in measles cases ahead of the beginning of the new school year.

Parents are being urged to ensure their children are fully vaccinated against “easily preventable” diseases such as measles, whooping cough, meningitis, diphtheria and polio as part of a six-week campaign by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England.

It comes amid concerns that uptake of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine is still too low in some areas of England.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “As a mum and doctor it is especially tragic to see kids suffering when these diseases are so easily preventable.

“Two MMR jabs offer the best and safest protection against measles but if unvaccinated children are at risk of serious illness or life-long complications.

“No parent wants this for their child.”

There was a surge of measles cases in England towards the end of 2023 following an outbreak of the disease in Birmingham, which sparked an MMR catch-up campaign.

According to the UKHSA, in the last 12 months the NHS has administered 180,000 additional MMR doses, with more than 51,000 of these given to children aged five or under.

More than 13% of previously unvaccinated children younger than five had their first dose of the jab during the period, while uptake of the second dose among black, Caribbean or African children aged between three and five was up by 4.9%.

Dr Saliba added: “It is encouraging that parents whose children have missed vaccines are now coming forward, but we are a long way from ensuring all are protected and safe.

“And importantly vaccination is also about not spreading the disease to others who may be more vulnerable.

“Measles is highly infectious and is still circulating in many areas across the country.

“It only takes one case to get into a school or nursery where many children are unprotected for numbers to suddenly surge.”

Davina Barrett, from Walsall, said it was “awful” when her then three-month-old son Ezra contracted the illness.

“We were so shocked at how bad Ezra got quite quickly,” she said.

“The rash spread rapidly and covered his entire body.

“Seeing him struggling to breathe and being hooked up to oxygen was awful.

“I had no idea measles could make babies so ill.

“Parents need to know that they are not just protecting their own child, but that the MMR vaccine could save the life of a baby like Ezra who is too young to have his own protection.

“Measles can be nasty but it’s entirely preventable.”

New UKHSA figures published on Thursday show there have now been 2,387 lab-confirmed measles cases in England from the start of 2024 to August 26.

This is already well above the 1,920 cases recorded in England in 2012, which was the last major measles outbreak.

There have been 122 confirmed cases in the most recent four weeks, though this is likely to underestimate activity due to lags in reporting the data.

London accounted for nearly three-quarters (73%) of the 122 cases.

Steve Russell, national director for vaccinations and screening at NHS England, said: “The NHS is clear that measles can be really dangerous and so it is critical that children get vaccinated.

“So far, NHS efforts have led to thousands more young people getting protected, with over 13% of previously unvaccinated children under the age of five getting protected, but we know there is more to do.

“We are encouraging parents to come forward if their children are not fully protected and have been invited by their GP.”