![]() The World Health Organisation recently reported that the “interruption of endemic transmission of measles has been achieved” in the UK – which in other words means that the disease is no longer able to spread here. This is significant when you consider that outbreaks of a disease become more likely if coverage falls below 90-95%. Children should have two doses of the MMR before they start school, but while take-up rates on the first dose have recently hit the 95% target, only 87.6% are currently having both before they reach the age of five. If this continues, we could be only a few steps away from seeing some of these deadly diseases return.Īlthough claims that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine can cause autism have been completely discredited, concerns amongst parents about its safety continue to impact on use of the vaccine. Despite this, recent years have seen a trend for parents opting out of vaccinating their children. The practice has brought an end to incurable diseases including smallpox, which was officially eradicated in 1980, and polio, which has seen a 99% reduction in the number of cases reported worldwide. “One of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine” – that’s how the NHS Choices website describes vaccination. ![]() Alliance quality and standards manager Melanie Pilcher explains why vaccines are so important for young children. This article originally appeared in our Under 5 magazine. ![]()
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