MMR vaccination catchup campaign

It is estimated that in the UK around three million children aged 18 months to 18 years have missed either their first or second MMR vaccination.

Subsequently, cases of measles have risen dramatically, particularly over the past two years. In 2006 and 2007, in the UK there were 1,711 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales. This was more than in all the previous 10 years from 1996 to 2005 where there were a total of 1,629 cases of confirmed measles.

You are never too old to catch measles – the fatality rate of measles is highest in children under one year-old, and rises again in teenagers and adults. It is not possible to tell who will be seriously affected by measles which is why it’s so important to be protected.

If a child or young adult in education has missed one or both of their routine MMR vaccinations, local GP surgeries will be issuing appointments for MMR vaccines.

The catchup campaign is aimed at:

• Any child aged 13 months to 18 years who has never been vaccinated with MMR
• Any child who has had only one of the two MMR doses required to provide protection against measles, mumps and rubella has their second dose
• Any person over 18 and under 25 and in full time education.

Find out more about the MMR catchup campaign

• General information and resources