World vaccine uptake below level to stop spread of measles, warns WHO

More than 1.2m children in Europe have missed out on an MMR vaccine. Picture: Getty Images

The uptake of the MMR vaccine against measles has dropped below the level needed to stop the disease from spreading, the HSE has warned.

Health service chiefs have issued new advice for parents as the World Health Organization (WHO) launches a global “big catch-up” campaign to deliver millions of vaccines that were missed during the pandemic.

HSE immunisation expert Dr Lucy Jessop has called on Irish parents to play their part.

“In Ireland, children get two doses of the MMR vaccine so they can be fully protected against measles,” she said. 

"However, uptake rates of the first and second doses of the MMR vaccine have dropped below the 95% rate recommended by the WHO to stop measles from spreading.

Unvaccinated young children are most at risk of infectious diseases like measles. 

"But if your child has missed any of their recommended vaccines, it’s not too late to catch up and get protected.” 

This echoes the situation across Europe, where the WHO says more than 1.2m children have missed out on an MMR vaccine.

“Timing matters, so it is important to get vaccinated on time and catch up on any missed doses as soon as possible so your family is protected,” said Dr Jessop.

“We need to act now to catch up on the children who missed out on their vaccines during the pandemic so we can restore immunisation levels to pre-pandemic levels and keep everyone safe.”