Parents planning a late summer holiday abroad are being urged to get their children vaccinated against a highly contagious airborne infection before they fly. There has been a worrying drop in the uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting a warning from doctors.
Appearing on This Morning on Thursday, Dr Zoe Williams urged parents to check if their children are up to date with their vaccines, especially if they are planning a late summer holiday to countries where measles, mumps or rubella are more prevalent than they are in the UK. Her warning comes amid a revelation that one in 10 children are set to start school in September without being fully vaccinated, the ECHO reported.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), coverage of the first dose of the MMR vaccine in two year olds has dropped below 90 percent, while coverage for the two doses of the MMR vaccine in five year olds in England is currently 85.5 percent - well below the 95 percent World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target needed to achieve and sustain measles elimination. It means that more than one in 10 children under the age of five are not fully protected from measles and are at risk of catching it.
