MEASLES JAB FALL SPARKS HEALTH FEAR
DOCTORS fear a mass outbreak of measles, mumps and rubella will sweep across the UK as parents fail to get their children vaccinated.
Uptake of the jab fell for the fourth year in a row as parents become “complacent” about the threat of deadly diseases.
Leading nurses warned that Britain is “turning back the clock and leaving thousands of children unprotected”.
Experts urged the NHS to do more to reach children as longer GP waits get in the way of vaccinations. Professor Jonathan Ball, of the University of Nottingham, said: “If uptake continues to decline we will see increasing numbers of outbreaks and, inevitably, illness and possible death.”
NHS Digital figures showed 91.2% of children had the MMR jab by their second birthday – the lowest since 2011/12. The World Health Organisation recommends that it should be at least 95%.
The organisation declared that the UK had “eliminated” measles last year. But this year has seen 876 cases in England – triple the number of last year.
Doug Brown, of the British Society for Immunology, said: “Lower levels of vaccination mean harmful diseases can spread.”
Helen Donovan, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: “These were diseases of the past – they should not be part of our future.” The Star Says: Page 6