'Please take advantage of the summer break to check your children are up-to-date with all of their vaccinations'

HEALTH EXPERTS CALLING FOR YOUNGSTERS TO GET THEIR JABS BEFORE RETURNING TO SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER FOLLOWING A SURGE IN MEASLES CASES

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FAMILIES in East Staffordshire are being urged to ensure children are up to date with routine vaccinations before school starts again in September.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is asking those in the West Midlands to get their jabs so children are protected from diseases such as measles.

Latest data shows continued high levels of measles cases in some parts of the country, prompting fears of more outbreaks and a further surge in cases once children return to the classroom.

Regions with the lowest vaccine uptake are of particular concern, including in the West Midlands, where the average uptake of two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine by age five is 84.3 per cent, dropping as low as 75.8 per cent in some areas.

Katie Spence, UKHSA regional deputy director for the West Midlands, said: “Measles is a nasty virus which spreads very quickly in communities where many children and adults are unvaccinated with MMR, especially in nurseries and schools.