Community leaders raise vaccination awareness as measles cases spike

The London Jewish Health Partnership is urging the community to make sure they are protected as measles cases rise.

There is an increasing number of people in London with measles and most of these are young children who have not had their measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are asking community leaders to raise awareness of risks in communities and areas with low vaccination coverage.

Measles is very infectious, which means it can spread quickly among communities, such as schools, nurseries, synagogues and workplaces, if people have not had two dose the MMR vaccine.

While most people recover completely within a couple of weeks, measles can cause very serious illness – sometimes leading to permanent disability and in rare cases, death. There is a version of the MMR vaccine, Priorix, which has no pork ingredients. You can request Priorix from your GP.

“Measles is a serious illness, with one in five children who get the disease having to be admitted to hospital for treatment. Vaccination with TWO doses of MMR is the only way to give people maximum protection. Measles does not just affect young children – anyone who has missed their MMR vaccination can get measles,” Andrew Gilbert, co-chair, London Jewish Health Partnership, said.

“So, if anyone in your family is not up to date with their MMR, contact your GP surgery to arrange vaccination as soon as possible,” he added.

More information on measles is available at: www.nhs.uk/measles
More information on the MMR vaccine is available at: www.nhs.uk//mmr