Measles

Tuesday 30th January 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

Following my written statement of 22 January 2024, I wish to provide a further update to the House on the actions that the Government and health system are taking in response to an increase in measles cases in England, particularly in the west midlands.

The current measles outbreak

Between 1 October 2023 and 23 January 2024 there have been 347 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England, with 127 of these cases confirmed in January 2024. From 30 January, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish national laboratory confirmed measles case numbers on www.gov.uk weekly, rather than on the previous monthly cycle. This will provide more frequent and up-to-date information to support preparedness and response activity while measles cases remain raised.

Actions under way to protect the public

Measles is a vaccine preventable disease, with long-lasting immunity provided through the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. To support increasing the uptake of the MMR vaccine, NHS England has rapidly implemented a catch-up campaign for missed MMR vaccines as part of a major drive to protect children from becoming seriously unwell as measles continues to rise in parts of the country. From 6 February, parents and carers of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children aged six to 11 will receive a first reminder letter, text or email inviting them to make an appointment with their child’s GP practice for their missed MMR vaccine. From 12 March, second reminders will begin to be sent.

This national campaign supplements existing measures under way to work with specific communities to boost uptake in priority areas, for example, by offering MMR pop-ups and whole-school vaccination campaigns. Extensive local engagement and communications have also been undertaken with community and faith leaders to encourage groups less likely to get their jab to come forward.

Additionally, in London and the west midlands, the first reminder invitation letters, texts or emails will be sent in February to the parents and carers of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children aged 11 to 16 and, following that, to young people aged 16 to 25 to invite them to catch up on their missed MMR vaccinations. This will be followed by a second reminder to these age groups in March. Reminders will also be accessible for those over 16 who utilise the NHS app.

In the west midlands, strategic partnership groups are in place in three of six NHSE integrated care board areas to oversee planning, delivery and response across the health system. The other three integrated care boards also work on a multi-agency basis to assess preparedness and response activities.

UKHSA West Midlands and regional Department for Education colleagues hosted a webinar for education and early years settings last week with over 650 attendees. This focused on describing the signs and symptoms of measles, what schools need to know and how they can access more support. In addition, UKHSA West Midlands and NHS Midlands hosted a webinar for clinicians and frontline staff in maternity services with over 280 attendees, and significant work across the region to promote MMR vaccination continues through a range of mechanisms, including social media and community engagement at a local level.

I will also be chairing a regular measles ministerial co-ordination board, bringing together local and national actors to bring the current outbreak under control.

Work also continues at pace across England’s regions, particularly in London, to prepare for the possibility of further cases and outbreaks, learning from the west midlands experience. This preparation includes a multi-agency planning exercise led by UKHSA that was focused on a potential outbreak in London and exercising the response to that.

Correction to written statement UIN HCWS200

I would like to amend the written statement I gave the House on 22 January 2024 and an answer I gave to the House on the same day in response to an urgent question from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Preet Kaur Gill).

In the written statement and at the urgent question, I stated that an existing MMR vaccination campaign by NHS England had resulted in a 10% increase in vaccine uptake compared to the previous year. I would like to clarify that this 10% increase is not an overall figure but rather refers to the proportion of children aged one to five who came forward for their MMR jab as a result of having been identified as eligible for and or missing one or both doses and contacted proactively by the NHS between 22 September and 23 February last year to get the jab. The figure I quoted was from a published NHS England press release, which was corrected on 23 January 2024.

[HCWS224]