East Yorkshire Tops the Table for Measles Vaccinations

A higher proportion of children in the East Riding have had their MMR vaccine than anywhere else in the country.

NHS England has published data showing the the proportion of children in England who received both doses of their MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) vaccine by their fifth birthday and it shows the East Riding of Yorkshire is the best performing area with 94.4% of children receiving the vaccine.

In Neighboring North Yorkshire the figure is 90.3%, in York it is 86.5% and in Hull the figure is 85.6%.

The fourteen lowest performing areas are all in London with Hackney footing the list at 56.3%.

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency chief executive warns that measles outbreaks could spread unless urgent action is taken.

Dame Jenny Harries is in Birmingham today (19 January) to see first-hand the on-going work to contain the spread of the disease and encourage communities to urgently take up the offer of an MMR vaccine.

To date, there have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands since 1 October 2023. Around 80% of cases have been seen in Birmingham, with about 10% in Coventry, with the majority being in children aged under ten.

Following a UKHSA risk assessment published last July, which warned of the potential for such outbreaks, Dame Jenny has expressed concern that unless urgent action is taken we are likely to see the measles virus spreading rapidly in other areas with low MMR vaccine uptake.

The UKHSA has declared a national incident. This is an internal mechanism within the Agency signalling the growing public health risk and to enable the Agency to focus on limiting further spread of the outbreak including additional work to help protect other areas at greatest risk.

Dame Professor Jenny Harries said:

“Colleagues across the West Midlands have worked tirelessly to try to control the outbreak, but with vaccine uptake in some communities so low, there is now a very real risk of seeing the virus spread in other towns and cities.

“Children who get measles can be very poorly and some will suffer life changing complications. The best way for parents to protect their children from measles is the MMR vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine give lifelong protection and it's never too late to catch up.

 “Immediate action is needed to boost MMR uptake across communities where vaccine uptake is low. We know from the pandemic that the communities themselves, and those providing services within them, will have the knowledge to best support local families to understand the risks of measles, to learn more about the vaccines that can protect them and to enable innovative vaccine delivery approaches. We need a long-term concerted effort to protect individuals and to prevent large measles outbreaks.”

MMR is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme – with one dose offered at one year and another second dose at 3 years 4 months. Parents whose infants missed out, or anyone of any age who has not yet had a vaccine, are urged to come forward. The free MMR vaccine is a safe and effective way of protecting against measles, as well as mumps and rubella.

Measles spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools. It can be a very unpleasant illness and in some children can be very serious, leading to hospitalisation and tragically even death in rare cases. People in certain at-risk groups including babies and young children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immunity, are at increased risk of complications from measles.

Over 99% of those who have two doses of the MMR vaccine will be protected against measles and rubella. The vaccine also provides protection against mumps, which can be very painful with complications including inflammation of the ovaries and testicles, and in rare cases, the pancreas. Although mumps protection is slightly lower, cases in vaccinated people are much less severe, highlighting the importance of the MMR vaccination.  

Parents can see if their children are protected by looking in their red book or asking at their GP practice. Teenagers and adults who are not sure of their vaccination status can also check with their GP practice, who can advise on arranging appointments for anyone not up-to-date.