Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help encourage vaccine uptake for measles in (a) London and (b) England.

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is offered as a part of the childhood immunisation schedule, and there are several campaigns underway to increase uptake nationally. These include a targeted National Health Service campaign, launched in July 2023, to contact parents and carers of children aged between one and five years old, who were not fully vaccinated.

We are also launching a follow up campaign targeting unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children aged between six and 11 years old. In London this includes all those unvaccinated and partially vaccinated aged between 11 and 25 years old. Additionally, NHS England is working closely with the UK Health Security Agency and local health partners and communities to understand the needs of their populations and to tailor immunisation programmes to meet the needs of under-vaccinated communities. Efforts include offering alternative vaccination sites, local and national media coverage to raise awareness, and community outreach work to support increased uptake.

The MMR and polio catch-up campaign which was launched in London in May 2023 has resulted in 25,000 MMR vaccines being administered. NHS London has also offered MMR vaccines in nurseries and schools to make it easier for parents to vaccinate their children, and has worked with community and faith leaders to engage these communities and highlight the importance for anyone eligible to take up the vaccination offer.