Dear Parents/Guardians,
As you may be aware, Measles cases in England and Wales have increased significantly in the past few years. The NHS estimates that one in five cases of measles results in a hospital visit. More than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 are unprotected and at risk of becoming ill from the disease, according to NHS England.
To be fully protected, you need two doses of the MMR vaccine (Measles/Mumps / Rubella vaccine). Usually, it is given at around 1 year of age and again at 3 years 4 months old. However, if one or both doses are missing, this can be given at any time. With cases of measles on the increase, it is a good idea to get it as soon as possible. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 99% effective at protecting against measles. It is one of the most effective vaccines we have.
Vaccination rates have been falling over the past few years, and this has led to the increase in cases. We need 95% of the population to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, where the population is protected through high levels of immunity to a disease.
Measles is also highly infectious. To help show what we mean by this this, we can use this example. We talked a lot about the R number during Covid. That’s the transmission rate. We were keen to keep it well under 1.
The R number in measles is over 15 in unvaccinated groups. So, in an unvaccinated population 1 case can lead to over 50,000 cases in just two weeks. In a population where 95% are vaccinated, R drops to 1, so 1 case leads to just 5 cases in 2 weeks.
If you believe your child is outstanding one or two doses of the MMR vaccination, please collect a consent form from the school office or contact Vaccination UK on 01724 514800 by the 12th March 2024 and speak to the member of the team who will be able to take a consent over the phone.