Nottingham City Council is urging parents to check if their children are up to date with immunisations, including two doses of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination.
London has seen a surge in measles cases recently and mumps is also on the rise. Measles is a highly-infectious disease that can lead to serious problems such as pneumonia, meningitis, and, on rare occasions, long-term disability or death. Complications from mumps include hearing loss and can very rarely cause infertility in men. Rubella can cause serious problems during pregnancy.
If 95 per cent of children receive the MMR vaccine, it’s possible to reduce the risk of spreading the viral diseases. However, measles, mumps and rubella can quickly spread again if fewer than 90 per cent of people are vaccinated. Currently in Nottingham, just over 76 per cent of children have had the two vaccines by five years old.
The NHS in England runs a scheduled vaccination programme which begins from the age of eight weeks old, through childhood and into adulthood. People need two doses of the MMR vaccine to protect them from serious Illness and having both also gives children lifelong protection. The first MMR vaccine is given at age one year and the second at age three years and four months.
Lucy Hubber, Director of Public Health at Nottingham City Council, said: “Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. People can get seriously ill if they catch Measles, Mumps or Rubella and they can spread really easily between unvaccinated people.
“Having two MMR vaccinations can provide lifelong protection and it’s never too late to catch up. I would urge anyone who is concerned that they or their child may not have had two doses, to check their Personal Child Health Record (PCHR) known as the ‘Redbook, or visit: NHS.UK/vaccinations, and then make an appointment to with their GP surgery to catch up on any missed doses.
“I would also encourage everyone to accept any routine vaccination invitations when offered by the NHS, or to contact their GP surgeries to catch up on any jabs they may have missed, especially those who missed their vaccinations since the start of Covid pandemic”.
More information on the MMR vaccine can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine/