We have been notified that measles is now circulating in England and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Europe is likely to see an increase of infections and is urging action to increase vaccination rates.
Coverage for the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination programme in the UK has fallen to the lowest level in a decade. Uptake for the first dose of the MMR vaccine in 2-year-olds in England is 89%, and uptake of two MMR doses at age 5 years is 85.5% well below the 95% target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) which is necessary to achieve and maintain elimination.
The Midlands is one of the lowest regions for uptake with 90.6% uptake of the first dose at 2 years, and 85.2% uptake of both doses at 5 years of age.
