Helen Bedford, a professor of child public health at University College London, said the latest figures were worrying but not surprising, given a decline in MMR vaccine uptake in recent years.Īccording to the UKHSA, uptake of two MMR doses in children aged five years in England is 85%. “The MMR vaccine has helped prevent the development of potentially life-threatening illness among millions, and it is clear that when uptake falls, infections rise, so I strongly urge parents to review the status of their child’s vaccinations so they can keep them and others protected from measles, mumps and rubella,” he said.
The NHS director of vaccinations and screening, Steve Russell, said that since vaccination for measles was introduced, more than 4,500 lives had been saved. Measles can begin with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash, and the NHS says it can cause serious problems in some people, including meningitis and blindness. Although some cases were imported from abroad, others were down to community transmission. “During the Covid-19 pandemic we saw a fall in uptake for the routine childhood vaccinations, including MMR, which leaves us vulnerable to outbreaks, especially as people travel abroad for summer holidays to places where measles is more common.”įour in 10 (40%) of the confirmed cases so far in 2023 were in children younger than five, and 27% were among people aged 15 to 34. “Measles spreads very easily and can lead to complications that require a stay in hospital and on rare occasions can cause lifelong disability or death, so it is very concerning to see cases starting to pick up this year,” she said.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (known as the MMR jab) is given to children in two doses, with the first administered at one year old and the second at three years and four months.ĭr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said it was never too late to catch up on vaccinations, with the jabs free on the NHS. Teenagers and adults are also being urged to come forward if they have missed jabs. This can be done by checking their red book or contacting their GP. Now experts say measles cases are rising once more: according to the UKHSA, between 1 January and 2 April this year, 49 cases of measles were confirmed in England, about two-thirds of which were in London.Įxperts are calling for parents and guardians to ensure their children are up to date with their MMR vaccinations. Restrictions imposed during the Covid pandemic meant measles cases subsequently fell, with data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealing there were just two confirmed measles cases in 2021 and 54 in 2022.
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