Health Agency Sounds Alarm: Parents Urged to Get MMR Jabs Sorted Over Summer
The UK Health Security Agency South West (UKHSA) has issued a fresh warning to parents: check your children’s MMR vaccination records now, before school starts again.
This call to action follows rising concern about measles cases flaring up across England, especially as September looms.
Measles isn’t just a childhood rash, it’s serious. And it’s on the move.
Although Bristol hasn’t seen any new cases since May, it’s not out of the woods. Earlier this year, the city recorded the highest number of measles cases of any local authority in the country.
From 1 January to now, England has logged 674 confirmed cases. In the South West alone, 58 people have been affected. Most of them? Kids under 10.
Professor Dominic Mellon, regional deputy director for health protection at UKHSA South West, stressed the urgency of the matter. “While it is good news that there have been no new cases of measles in Bristol since May, we must not be complacent.
Measles is still circulating across the country, with recent clusters in the North West and London, with some cases having to be hospitalised.”
He flagged summer as a vital window for parents to act, ensuring children are protected before term begins. Check your Red Book. Talk to your GP. The time to act is now.
“Measles spreads very easily and can be a nasty disease, leading to complications like ear and chest infections and inflammation of the brain.
Some children tragically end up in the hospital and suffer life-long consequences,” Mellon added.
Dr Georgina Angel from NHS England South West echoed the urgency: “Vaccination is the best protection against measles.
The MMR vaccine is provided free by the NHS, and I would urge all parents to check their child’s vaccination records before they go back to school in September or head off on their summer holidays, particularly as Europe is reporting the highest number of measles cases in 25 years.”
The NHS stepped up efforts last year, administering tens of thousands of additional MMR doses. Still, too many children remain unprotected.
This isn’t just about individual kids. Babies under one and those with weak immune systems can’t have the jab, and they’re the most vulnerable.
That’s why catching up on vaccinations now could make all the difference.
Visit the UKHSA section on the government website for more on measles, mumps, and rubella.
