The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) chief executive has warned that further outbreaks of measles will spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to increase Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in areas at greatest risk.

Professor Dame Jenny Harries visited Birmingham, where there has been a rapid rise in cases since October. Whilst there, she experienced the clinical, health protection, epidemiological and community engagement work on-going to contain the spread of the disease and encourage communities to urgently take up the offer of an MMR vaccine.

Between 1 October 2023 and 18 January 2024, there have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands. 80 per cent of cases have been seen in Birmingham and 10 per cent in Coventry. The majority of cases are in children under 10 years old.

The UKHSA has declared a national incident, signalling the growing public health risk and to enable the Agency to focus on limiting further spread of the outbreak including additional work to help protect other areas at greatest risk.

Professor Dame Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said: "Colleagues across the West Midlands have worked tirelessly to try to control the outbreak, but with vaccine uptake in some communities so low, there is now a very real risk of seeing the virus spread in other towns and cities.

"Children who get measles can be very poorly and some will suffer life changing complications. The best way for parents to protect their children from measles is the MMR vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine give lifelong protection and it’s never too late to catch up.

"Immediate action is needed to boost MMR uptake across communities where vaccine uptake is low. We know from the pandemic that the communities themselves, and those providing services within them, will have the knowledge to best support local families to understand the risks of measles, to learn more about the vaccines that can protect them and to enable innovative vaccine delivery approaches. We need a long-term concerted effort to protect individuals and to prevent large measles outbreaks."

On Monday, the NHS launched a campaign to encourage parents to book their children in for missed measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines.

All parents of children aged six to 11 will be contacted and encouraged to make an appointment with their child’s GP practice for their missed MMR vaccine.

Figures show that more than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 years are unprotected.

The NHS campaign will target areas with low uptake of the vaccine with the health service contacting just over one million people aged 11 to 25 years-old in London and the West Midlands to invite them to catch up on their missed MMR vaccinations.

Steve Russell, NHS Director of Vaccinations and Screening, said: “The NHS is acting quickly to tackle the spread of measles by contacting one million people aged between 11 and 25 across London and the Midlands to urge them to get their vaccine.

“People who are unvaccinated can get catch-up jabs at MMR pop-ups in schools and other convenient places while GPs, teachers and trusted community leaders are encouraging groups that are less likely to get their jab to come forward.

“All this builds on the national MMR catch-up campaign the NHS rolled out at the beginning of winter, with text, email and letter reminders sent out to parents and guardians of children up to five who have yet to get full protection.

“Measles is a serious illness, with one in five children who get the disease having to be admitted to hospital for treatment, so if you or your child have not had your MMR jab, it is vital you come forward”.