Measles and MMR vaccination

Cases of measles are rising across England, including among children. It’s an infection that spreads very easily, especially in nurseries and schools if children are not vaccinated. It can be a very unpleasant illness. In some children measles can be very serious, leading to hospitalisation and in rare cases tragically can cause death.

There’s no specific medical treatment for measles, so it’s important to get vaccinated as it’s the best protection against becoming seriously unwell and helps prevent the spread in the community.

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is one of the routine childhood vaccinations, so most children are already vaccinated against measles. If your child has received both doses of the vaccine, they are unlikely to have the virus.

We are calling on all parents and carers to make sure their children are up to date with their 2 MMR doses. To see if your child is up to date with their MMR vaccines, check your child’s personal child health record, known as the red book, or contact your GP practice.

Children who are unvaccinated and come into contact with a case may need to stay away from school or nursery for up to 21 days.

It is never too late to catch up. The MMR vaccine is free, whatever your age. If anyone has missed one or both doses of the MMR vaccine, contact your GP practice to book an appointment.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness and spreads easily. Anyone with symptoms is advised phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice. Measles usually starts to get better in about a week but if you do need to visit the GP practice or A&E please contact them in advance so NHS staff can help you without putting vulnerable staff or patients at risk.

In the UK we have two types of MMR vaccine – one does not contain any pork ingredients. You can request the vaccine with no pork products from your GP. Parents can also make this request for children. Some GP practices may need to order this vaccine in specially so it will be helpful to tell them your views before the appointment.

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth. Find out more on the NHS website.

Happy, healthy, thriving children

The first years of a child’s life are incredibly important to their health. We all want to give our children the best start to life and for them to be happy, healthy and thrive as they grow.

One of the best ways to do this is to make sure they get protection from illness through immunisation.

What, when?

We want to help parents and carers understand which immunisations their children will be offered and when. With so much going on for parents and carers of young children, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to know when their children are due immunisations.

We have created an at-a-glance visual resource to support this.

The timeline-style infographic clearly sets out when to expect an invitation from the GP practice to come in for immunisation and explains what immunisations will be offered. This will help parents and carers to know what’s coming up and plan appointments into their schedules.

Click on the image to download the childhood immunisation timeline.

Beware of misinformation and disinformation

Always get your information from trusted sources and be aware of anti-vaccine stories that can spread online through social media. They may not be based on any scientific evidence and could put children at risk of serious illness.

More information on childhood immunisations can be found at the following link

Vaccinations – NHS (www.nhs.uk)