The Department of Health has pledged up to 60,000 extra fundingto each health trust and will provide 500,000 more doses, so that allchildren up to the age of 18 who have not previously had the MMR jab canbe vaccinated.
Government figures estimate that around three million children aged 18months to 18 years have missed either their first or second MMR jab.Vaccination rates stood at 91 per cent in 1997-1998 but had fallen to 80per cent by 2003-2004, after a study published in the Lancet in 1998linked the MMR vaccine to autism.
Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, has written to all PrimaryCare Trusts to say that a measles outbreak could affect up to 100,000children and young people and could cause pneumonia, encephalitis oreven death.
The move follows a rise in the number of measles cases after a decade oflow vaccine uptake. In 2006 and 2007, there were 1,726 confirmed casesin England and Wales - more than in the previous 10 years. From 1996 to2005, there were a total of 1,621 cases.
Professor Elizabeth Miller, head of immunisation at the HealthProtection Agency, said, 'Low vaccine uptake means there is a largegroup of children who either haven't been vaccinated or have receivedjust one dose.'
Dr Patricia Hamilton, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics andChild Health, said, 'We cannot stress too strongly that all children andyoung people should have the MMR vaccine. Overwhelming scientificevidence shows it is safe.'
