Millions of parents and carers in England are being urged to book their children in for their missed measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as part of a major new NHS drive to protect children from becoming seriously unwell, as measles cases continue to rise across the country.
The NHS campaign will see all parents of children aged from six to 11 years contacted encouraging them to make an appointment with their child’s GP practice for their missed MMR vaccine.
NHS figures show more than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 years are unprotected and at risk of catching these serious and completely preventable diseases.
Thanks to NHS efforts last winter, the number of MMR vaccinations increased by 10% compared to the previous year with two million texts, emails and letters sent to parents between September 2022 and February 2023.
The NHS campaign will target areas with low uptake of the vaccine with the health service contacting just over one million people aged 11 to 25 years-old in London and the West Midlands to invite them to catch up on their missed MMR vaccinations.
Across the North West, local health leaders are also working to encourage those eligible to come forward for the vaccine.