Measles outbreak – MMR jab rate revealed for Warwickshire’s under fives
ALMOST 90 per cent of children under five in Warwickshire were vaccinated against measles last year, according to data published by NHS England.
There has been a focus on the West Midlands region following outbreaks of the disease, which in 2017 was thought to have been eradicated within the UK.
The head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) last week said national action was needed after figures showed there have been 216 confirmed measles cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands since 1st October last year.
Four-fifths (80 per cent) have been found in Birmingham while 10 per cent were identified in Coventry, with the majority being in children aged under 10.
Prof Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, warned that measles is spreading among unvaccinated communities, and urged parents to check whether their children have had the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.
Vaccination rates across the country have been dropping, but there are particular concerns about some regions, including parts of London and the West Midlands.
In Warwickshire 88.5 per cent of children had received both doses of the MMR vaccine by their fifth birthday in 2022-23, which are the latest figures available.
This compares locally to 90.6 per cent in Worcestershire, 89.3 per cent in Gloucestershire, 75.1 per cent in Birmingham and 81.7 per cent in Coventry.
For wider comparison, the best performing local authority area was East Riding of Yorkshire (94.4 per cent) with the London borough of Hackney (53.6 per cent) propping up the table.
Dame Jenny said: “The focus obviously is on the West Midlands, but I think the real issue is we need a call to action right across the country. We had established measles elimination status in the UK, but in fact our vaccination rates now have dropped on average to about only 85 per cent of children arriving at school having had the two MMR doses.
“In the West Midlands, that’s in some areas down to 81 per cent, and if we go down to the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board area, that’s just over 70 per cent.
“So we are well under the recommended coverage for MMR vaccination that the WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends.”
Helen Bedford, professor of children’s health at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, added: “Measles is a potentially very serious infection.
“About one in 1,000 people with measles develop inflammation of the brain and even in high-income countries like the UK, about one in 5,000 die from the infection.
“Measles is often more severe in adults.
“Apart from managing the symptoms of measles, there is no treatment.”
