Netmums Investigates: why are fewer parents vaccinating their child against measles?
A national incident was declared earlier this month as cases of the highly contagious infection surge across the UK. As experts warn unvaccinated kids can catch measles after just 15 minutes of contact, those cases look set to rise. So why is uptake of the routine vaccination so low? Netmums investigates…
Opening the letter that had just arrived through her door, Emma* quickly scanned the contents before throwing it in the bin. Despite appearances, it wasn’t junk mail. Instead, it was from her GP surgery inviting her to book the first measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for her then one-year-old daughter.
And she had no intention of taking them up on it.
‘I know measles can be bad if you catch it, but I just don’t trust the MMR vaccine’, Emma told Netmums. ‘I’ve read all sorts of things online and I honestly feel my daughter is better off running the risk of getting measles over having it.’
Vaccine at 'lowest uptake in a decade'
Emma, whose daughter is now seven, is not alone. According to the latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), just 84.5% of children have had two doses of the MMR vaccine by the time they’re five years old. This is well below the target of 95% needed to stop measles spreading.
The routine vaccination is usually given at 12 months and the second at around three years and four months. But the data, which relates to 2022-23, reveals this is often not happening. In fact, the MMR vaccine uptake is at its lowest in a decade according to experts.
This means more than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 are unprotected and at risk of becoming ill, says NHS England.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, alongside the drop in vaccinations is a huge jump in measles cases. This is especially worrying given the serious complications linked with the 'Victorian' disease including meningitis, blindness and seizures.
In 2023, there were 1,603 suspected cases of measles in England and Wales. This was an increase from 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021.
And the fallout from this can’t be underestimated. This month (January 2024), a national incident was declared by the UKHSA after cases soared in the West Midlands. So what’s going on?
'Can lead to devastating long term effects'
After all, measles isn’t a disease to be taken lightly. A viral infection, it's highly contagious and can cause serious illness. Babies, young children and pregnant women are especially at risk.
‘The main concern with measles is that 10-20% cases will develop complications such as pneumonia, ear infection or neurological complications such as encephalitis’, says Dr Rachel Ward. ‘These can also lead to devastating long term effects such as blindness.’
Dr Ward, a family GP in Oxfordshire, says she’s seen a drop in parents vaccinating their kids. ‘In General Practice we aim to vaccinate at least 95% of children with MMR. Since Covid, we've been struggling to meet that target.’
Netmums' resident GP Dr Kenny Livingstone, chief medical officer at ZoomDoc, adds: ‘Just 15 minutes of contact with someone with measles and a child will likely also get measles, if they are not fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals, especially children, are at a higher risk of contracting and spreading the disease.
'The decision not to vaccinate a child against measles is sadly not uncommon.'
'General lack of confidence'
For Emma, it’s not just the MMR vaccine she is refusing. ‘I don’t let my daughter have the flu vaccine at school and she didn’t have the Covid jab either. I’m not surprised more parents are doing the same as me.’
The reasons for not vaccinating children are varied. One is the now-debunked study by Andrew Wakefield. He suggested the MMR vaccine was linked to autism. However, studies since then have proven this is not the case and Wakefield has since been disbarred from practising medicine.
But the legacy of his 'theory', and the prevalence of general anti-vax messaging on social media, is all having an impact.
Dr Livingstone says: 'Common reasons for parents' deciding not to vaccinate their child against measles include concerns about vaccine safety and fear of potential side effects, such as a perceived link between MMR vaccine and autism, which has been debunked.'
Dr Ward agrees, and says: ‘From discussions with parents there are still occasional queries about any links with autism but generally there seems to be a general lack of confidence in vaccines post Covid, which is ironic when we consider how many lives the Covid-19 vaccine saved. Unfortunately, there is a lot of unregulated misinformation on social media about vaccines, which people are regularly exposed to.’
Social media giants are working to tackle this misinformation. Type in #measlesvaccine in Instagram and you'll be met with a message urging users to visit the NHS website to find out more about vaccines.
But bypass that, and you'll be bombarded with inaccurate posts about the MMR vaccine.
'People forget how serious these diseases are'
However while this 'fake news' is an ongoing issue, there are other more straightforward reasons behind the low uptake, says Netmums' health visitor Tracey Stone.
'Parents lead busy and often complicated lives. Poor uptake could be due to parents missing appointments, or finding them hard to access for various reasons', she says.
'There are also families who do not respond to the appointments offered by their GP surgeries, and it can often be that no reason is given at all. I suppose people forget how serious these diseases are so they don't feel the need to take action.'
The BBC reports that child health experts say parents often struggle to get through to their GP. This means they can't ask their questions about the MMR jab. To combat this, some head teachers are now working with the NHS to run clinics in schools.
Tracey adds: 'Before I was a health visitor I worked as a Children's Nurse, and have looked after some very poorly little people who have been admitted for care due to measles.
'The measles virus can lead to serious problems if it spreads to other parts of the body and make a child very poorly. Sadly loss of life is a complication of this preventable disease, and it can also harm an unborn baby if caught in pregnancy, too.'
What's the solution?
The UKHSA has warned that measles will continue to spread unless parents vaccinate their children.
Last week Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said: ‘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.’
Millions of parents are now being contacted, urging them to book their child in for the MMR vaccine. It's hoped if enough children are protected, cases will stop spreading.
And this will keep everyone safe.
*Name has been changed
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