Urgent action to improve vaccination uptake ordered

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered urgent action to improve vaccination uptake after more than 230 cases of measles were reported in the UK during first quarter of 2019.

Johnson, who is visiting a hospital in the South West to lay out a number of measures designed to improve vaccination rates, including for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), is now calling for health leaders to renew their efforts to meet 95 per cent for both doses of MMR. Currently just 87 per cent of children are getting their second dose of the jab, which has likely contributed to the spread of measles.

Following a small but steady decline in coverage in recent years, the UK has lost its ‘measles-free’ status with the World Health Organisation (WHO) – three years after the virus was eliminated in the country. Measles is now endemic in countries including France, Germany and Italy.

Action to be outlined by the Prime Ministe includes: NHS England writing to GPs urging them to promote ‘catch up’ vaccination programmes for MMR for 10-11 year olds, as well as all those 5-25 year olds who have not had two doses of the jab; strengthening the role of local immunisation coordinators; addressing parents’ concerns about vaccines by updating the advice on NHS.uk specifically to address misleading information about the dangers of vaccines; calling a summit of social media companies to discuss how they can play their part in promoting accurate information about vaccination; and the Department for Health and Social Care – working with Public Health England and NHS England – to deliver a comprehensive strategy to address the issue in the Autumn.

Ahead of the hospital visit, Johnson said: “After a period of progress where we were once able to declare Britain measles free, we’ve now seen hundreds of cases of measles in the UK this year. One case of this horrible disease is too many, and I am determined to step up our efforts to tackle its spread.

“This is a global challenge and there’s a number of reasons why people don’t get themselves or their children the vaccines they need, but we need decisive action across our health service and society to make sure communities are properly immunised. From reassuring parents about the safety of vaccines, to making sure people are attending follow-up appointments, we can and must do more to halt the spread of infectious, treatable diseases in modern-day Britain.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “It’s easy to forget how devastating measles can be precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing it in the first place. With this strategy, the whole health system will come together to renew focus on vaccinations – especially for our children – and this time we will eliminate measles for good.”