Decline in MMR vaccine to be discussed by health officials
Health chiefs are to look at tackling a drop in the uptake of the MMR vaccine in the county.
Shropshire's Health and Wellbeing Board is today set to discuss a decline in the number of children receiving two doses of the vaccine – a fall reflected across the country.
A report prepared for the meeting outlines how the pandemic has led to a further decline in the uptake.
The UK had reached a point where measles, mumps and rubella, were declared 'eliminated' in 2016 but the falling rate of vaccination means the country no longer meets the requirements to declare the diseases beaten.
The report states: "Following the implementation of the measles vaccine and the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) immunisation programme, the UK reached elimination status in 2016.
"However, since this time the number of children receiving two doses of MMR has declined and no longer meets elimination status requirements.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a further decline in the number of parents and carers taking their children to receive the MMR vaccines."
Measles is highly infectious and can lead to serious complications and, on rare occasions, it can be fatal.
The England target is for 95 per cent of children to have had both doses of the vaccine by five years old.
The current rate is 86.6 per cent, while the figure for Shropshire is 91.2 per cent.
Officials will be told of the need to keep promoting the importance of the vaccine.
The report states: "An MMR elimination Action Plan was drafted in 2019 for Shropshire, with many of the targets achieved yet further work is required to achieve elimination status.
"It is important that Shropshire continues to raise awareness to the importance of children achieving MMR immunisation status to reach the 95 per cent national target. Shropshire’s MMR action plan has been updated and is being reviewed at present in line with government guidance."
Members of health and wellbeing board will be asked to act as "champions within their services and communities to further raise awareness and encourage immunisation uptake".
The board will also ask that a recent campaign launched by the UKHSA "should be supported and content shared by the appropriate professionals to encourage uptake of the MMR vaccines in Shropshire".
The board will receive an update on the progress in six months time.
