Since the MMR vaccine campaign earlier in the year, thirteen percent of under fives who were previously unvaccinated have now had the jab.
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00:00A lot of people have questions regarding the MMR vaccine which protects against measles,
00:06mumps and rubella. These are serious viral illnesses that can have life-altering consequences
00:13such as hearing loss and meningitis, which is why most people vaccinate against them.
00:19If someone were to have their first dose of the measles vaccine today, within two weeks they will
00:23have roughly 92% immunity. If they go on to have the second vaccine, they will have roughly 98%
00:30immunity, which will be lifelong. The MMR vaccination is offered through your GP practice
00:36and is given to your child twice. The first shortly after their first birthday and the second
00:41aged three years and four months. Two doses of the vaccine protect 99% of the population against
00:49measles and rubella and 88% of the population against mumps. The places in the UK that saw the
00:55biggest outbreaks of measles earlier in the year were also the places with the lowest vaccine
01:00uptake. For some London boroughs uptake for the first dose of the MMR jab was as low as 65%.
01:08That number might not seem dramatic but in reality it means a lot of people are unprotected
01:14and at risk. In fact our modelling suggests that an outbreak of between 40,000 to 160,000 cases
01:23could occur in London. Catching up and vaccinating our children when they are due
01:29can help prevent outbreaks. Most people are vaccinated well before they turn four but it's
01:35never too late to catch up if you've missed out on one or more doses of the MMR jab. It's never
01:41too late to catch up and that goes for adults too so if you or your family have missed one or two
01:47doses contact your GP as soon as possible. If you're due to travel overseas soon it's also
01:54important to have the vaccine as we're seeing measles outbreaks in many countries around the world.