UKHSA SOUTH WEST PRESS RELEASE: AROUND ONE IN TEN CHILDREN STARTING SCHOOL IN THE SOUTH WEST AT RISK OF MEASLES

Notes to editors

UK Health Security Agency

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats, and providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage.

UKHSA will ensure the nation can respond quickly and at greater scale to deal with pandemics and future threats.

UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency  Twitter: @UKHSA, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKHealthSecurityAgency

 Additional quotes for use

 Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA said:

“The MMR vaccine offers the best protection from measles, mumps and rubella which is why we’re calling on parents and carers to make sure their children are up to date with their two doses.  

“Even a small drop in vaccine coverage can have a big impact on population immunity levels and lead to outbreaks.

 “I would urge parents to check if their children are up to date with their MMR vaccines and if not to get them booked in as soon as they are able. It’s never too late to catch-up."

Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and medical director for primary care at NHS England, said:

“It is incredibly important that all parents and guardians ensure their child is up to date with their routine vaccinations, including MMR, as these vaccines give children crucial protection against serious and potentially deadly illnesses and stop outbreaks in the community.  

“If your child has missed a vaccination, please contact your GP practice to book an appointment as soon as you can to make sure they have maximum protection against disease.” 

TV doctor and mum, Dr Zoe Williams, who is also backing the campaign, said:  

“As a GP and mother, I know first-hand how important these vaccines are at keeping our children safe against the threat of measles, mumps and rubella. 

“I know that I am not alone when I say that my child’s safety is my number one priority, which is why I cannot urge people enough to make sure their child is fully vaccinated against these diseases.  

“No matter what age your child is, if they have missed out on their routine vaccines, you should contact your GP practice to get them vaccinated as soon as possible.” 

Helen Donovan, Specialist Immunology Nurse and Public Health lead at the Royal College of Nursing said:

“Vaccines are a key defence against potentially life-threatening illnesses, especially in childhood. Nursing staff are at the forefront of these services.  

“By getting vaccinated you’re helping to protect not just yourself but your whole community.  

“The MMR vaccine is safe and very effective and we urge parents to seize this opportunity to ensure their children catch up on their vaccinations – contact your surgery and book an appointment as soon as possible. Your practice nurse, health visitor or school nurse will give you all the information you need.”

Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive at the Encephalitis Society, says:

“Over the last two decades, vaccination has dramatically reduced the number of deaths from measles.

“While we understand that parents may have some concerns, it is important to note that since the MMR vaccine was introduced, it has saved hundreds of thousands of lives around the world.

“The MMR vaccination provides protection from measles, mumps and rubella and not only benefits the health of your child, but also their friends, their family, and anyone who may be unvaccinated. We would urge parents to speak to their GP and ensure their children are up-to-date with their vaccines.” 

Alison Morton, Executive Director, Institute of Health Visiting said:

“It is very worrying that more than 1 in 10 five-year-olds are not fully protected against measles. Measles is highly infectious (much more than COVID) and can make children very ill indeed. During the pandemic, the measures we have all taken to protect ourselves and our communities from infection resulted in a reduction in measles. However, this does not mean it has disappeared. Measles is waiting in the wings and it only takes a small fall in vaccine uptake for us to start having outbreaks.

“Fortunately, it is never too late to have the MMR vaccine, two doses are needed to give best protection. The vaccine is also very safe.  

“Parents can check their child’s red book to see if they have had their two doses. If they have not, or it is not clear, parents should contact their GP practice and book an appointment.  Combatting measles will take a whole system approach and health visitors are ideally placed to support parents to access the vaccine for their child, and also answer their questions if they are unsure or have concerns.”

New research commissioned by DHSC and UKHSA, conducted by Censuswide of 155 parents of children aged 5 and under in the South West: 

• 45% believe measles can cause death
• 39% are not aware that measles can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia and brain inflammation
• 39% of parents feel vaccinations have never been more important in helping prevent the spread of infections/viruses
• 4% admit their child hasn’t received a single dose of the MMR vaccine
• 49% are not aware that two doses of the MMR vaccine gives 99% protection against measles and rubella 
• 40% of parents who expressed concern about the MMR vaccine said it is because they are worried about MMR side effects

Facts and stats: 

Measles

• Before the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020 the UK had re-established endemic transmission of measles.
• In 2019 there were 797 laboratory confirmed cases of measles in England, the majority in teenagers and young adults who had missed out on the MMR vaccine when they were younger. At the time, there were several ongoing measles outbreaks, particularly in London.
• Since March 2020 there have only been two laboratory confirmed cases of measles in the UK, one imported and one imported related. The public health measures put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular the travel restrictions have led to a sharp decline in measles infections in the UK and across Europe. However during this same period we have also seen a fall in MMR vaccine uptake and so it is expected that once travel fully opens up and COVID-19 restrictions are fully lifted we will see a measles resurgence and outbreaks occurring. 

• Measles can infect around 9 out of 10 non-immune (those who are unvaccinated or have not previously been infected with the measles virus) people exposed to it and can lead to serious complications

Mumps

• In 2019 there were 5055 laboratory confirmed cases of mumps in England. This was the highest number of cases recorded since 2009.
• The steep rise in mumps cases in 2019 was largely driven by outbreaks in universities and colleges. Many of the cases were seen in the so-called ‘Wakefield cohorts’ – young adults born in the late nineties and early 2000s who missed out on the MMR vaccine when they were children. These cohorts are now old enough to attend college and university and are likely to continue fuelling outbreaks.

• The closure of universities and schools on 23 March 2020 interrupted transmission of mumps outbreaks linked to these settings and since then there have only been 224 laboratory confirmed mumps cases in England.

Rubella

• The WHO confirmed that the UK had eliminated rubella in 2015.
• No laboratory confirmed cases of rubella have been reported since 2019.

Measles elimination status:

• The UK achieved WHO measles elimination status in 2017, based on data from 2014-2016.
• However, in 2018, there was a marked increase in the number of measles cases, with 991 confirmed cases in England and Wales, compared with 284 cases in 2017 (PHE, 2019).
• In 2019, the UK lost its WHO measles-free status.

The UK measles and rubella elimination strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-and-rubella-elimination-uk-strategy

UK measles and rubella elimination indicators can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-and-rubella-elimination-uk/uk-measles-and-rubella-elimination

UKHSA quarterly vaccination coverage statistics for children aged up to 5 years in the UK (COVER programme): July to September 2021 published here (ENGLAND DATA): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2021-to-2022-quarterly-data

Indicator	Quarterly vaccination coverage (Q2 21/22)	Lowest quarterly vaccination coverage prior to Q2 21/22 (year)	Highest quarterly vaccination coverage (year)
MMR first dose coverage in 2-year olds	88.6%	90.3% (Q1 11/12)	92.7% (Q3 13/14)
MMR first dose coverage in 5-year olds	93.7%	93.4% (Q4 11/12)	95.6% (Q4 16/17)
MMR second dose coverage in 5-year olds	85.5%	85.4% (Q2 11/12)	88.5% (Q2 14/15)

All children are invited for their first MMR vaccine at aged 1 and for their second dose aged 3 years four months. You can find the full routine childhood Immunisation schedule here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-complete-routine-immunisation-schedule

South West data – MMR one dose at 2 and 5 years old and 2 doses at 5 years old by local authority level for 2020/21.

Available here: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/mmr#page/3/gid/1000043/pat/6/par/E12000009/ati/402/are/E06000022/iid/30309/age/31/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/car-do-0

Local Authority	MMR - one dose at 2 years old (2020/21)		MMR - one dose at 5 years old (2020/21)		MMR - two doses at 5 years old (2020/21)
	Count	% of eligible population	Count	% of eligible population	Count	% of eligible population
Bath and North East Somerset	1,712	95.1	2,066	96.5	1,987	92.8
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	3,696	92.5	4,348	95.9	4,168	91.9
Bristol	4,973	88.6	5,538	93.9	5,039	85.4
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly	4,727	92.1	5,671	95.5	5,353	90.2
Devon	6,537	94.4	7,529	96.1	7,241	92.4
Dorset	2,633	95.1	3,169	97.2	3,092	94.9
Gloucestershire	6,192	93.9	7,090	96.3	6,745	91.6
North Somerset	2,068	94.3	2,393	96.9	2,271	91.9
Plymouth	2,767	95.2	3,193	97.4	3,066	93.5
Somerset	4,922	92.6	5,829	95.8	5,534	90.9
South Gloucestershire	2,873	94.3	3,171	96.4	2,993	90.9
Swindon	2,557	92.7	2,957	95.3	2,768	89.2
Torbay	1,200	93.6	1,399	96.7	1,324	91.6
Wiltshire	4,818	95.7	5,431	97.0	5,212	93.1
South West	51,675	93.3	59,784	96.0	56,793	91.2
England	569,675	90.3	654,197	94.3	601,053	86.6

 

[1] UKHSA: Quarterly vaccination coverage statistics for children aged up to 5 years in the UK: July to September 2021: Health Protection Report. Volume 15 Number 20.  Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1042067/cover-programme-july-to-september-2021.pdf Last accessed 28/01/2022

[2] Inverse of the 39% who did not select ‘Measles can lead to serious complications including ear infections, pneumonia, and brain inflammation’ when asked ‘Which of the following statements are true in your opinion?’

[3] Vaccine knowledge project. Measles. Available at: https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/measles Last accessed 28/01/2022