Low MMR uptake putting children at risk
9 April 2008
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Although uptake of MMR vaccine has increased recently and there is evidence that more parents are confident in the safety of the vaccine, the current uptake remains too low 
Dr Helen Bedford from the UCL, Institute of Child Health
A large number of children are at serious risk of measles, mumps and rubella because not enough parents are immunising their children, a study reports.
Researchers at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children found that 6.1 percent of children were not immunised with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine by the age of three.
A further 5.2 percent had received at least one of the single vaccines, but of the children who had received one or more single antigen vaccines "only one half had received all three". Only 88.6 percent were immunised with the MMR vaccine.
Dr Helen Bedford from the UCL, Institute of Child Health told the Bupa health information team that "although uptake of MMR vaccine has increased recently and there is evidence that more parents are confident in the safety of the vaccine, the current uptake remains too low to ensure herd immunity". This means that there is potential for outbreaks of measles, mumps or rubella in the community.
"Almost three quarters of parents who had not accepted MMR vaccine had made a conscious decision not to have the vaccine" Dr Helen Bedford added.
In 1997 an unproven link between MMR and autism with bowel disease was suggested. Since that point the level of immunised children fell from 92 percent in 1995 to 79 percent in 2003.
Dr Bedford highlights that "we have already seen the results of this with more cases of measles reported in 2007 than in any single year for over ten years."
The charity Sense was set up in 1955 by the parents of babies affected by rubella. It now focuses on people with deafness and blindness, and associated disabilities caused by a number of conditions and diseases. Joff McGill, Head of Voluntary Services at Sense told the Bupa health information team:
"We have forgotten about the serious effects of rubella because of the success of MMR. The World Health Organization states that MMR is a highly effective vaccine with an outstanding safety record. We think it is the best way to protect against these devastating diseases."
People with a higher household income and older, better educated mothers are more likely to opt for single vaccines. But Joff McGill, Head of Voluntary Services at Sense said that "there is no evidence that a programme of single vaccinations would be as effective or safer."
Among the 14,578 three year old children born in the UK between 2000-2002, the factors associated with no immunisation were large family size, lone parent families, younger (under 20 years) or older (over 34 years) mothers, more highly educated and unemployed or self employed mothers.
This research will help health professionals understand parents' choices and highlight those who have concerns about MMR.
Related topics
- Measles health factsheet
- Mumps health factsheet
- MMR vaccine factsheet
- Rubella health factsheet
- No link between MMR and autism - news story
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