Measles and MMR

As measles cases continue to rise in London, parents and carers are being urged to book their children in for their MMR vaccine as part of a major NHS drive to protect children from becoming seriously unwell.

Measles and MMR communications toolkit

Measles and MMR in south west London

There are approximately 22,500 unvaccinated children between the age of 1-11 years old across our six south west London boroughs. Analysis shows one infected child in a classroom can infect up to nine other unvaccinated children, making it one of the most infectious diseases worldwide. Meanwhile, one in five children with measles will need to be admitted to hospital for treatment.

As cases continue to rise we’re urging parents to get their children vaccinated against measles. Hear from Sutton GP Dr Naomi Bennett about how to check if your child is up to date with their vaccinations and how to catch up on any missed doses.

What we’re doing

In south west London, we are focusing on increasing:

Capacity – Increasing capacity to vaccinate and ensuring that there are more available appointments, particularly in areas of low uptake.
Access – Contacting local people directly through text messages, letters and phone calls to make sure they know what appointments are available and how to access them.
Campaign – Supporting national communications with an additional focus on our local communities to share information about measles and the MMR vaccination.

Help us reach local communities

We need your help to communicate with our local communities. Use our key messages and communications resources to share information.

Measles and MMR communications toolkit

Key messages

Make sure your child is up to date with their MMR vaccinations. Check your child’s red book, and make an appointment with your GP practice nurse to catch up on missed doses.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine can stop your child becoming seriously unwell with measles. Two doses of the safe and effective vaccine are needed for maximum life-long protection, with the first dose given around the child’s first birthday, and the second dose given at around three years and four months old.
Measles is not just a childhood disease and can be serious at any age. Anyone can catch up at any age on any missed doses and it’s never too late to protect yourself.
The MMR vaccination is safe, quick and free with millions of doses given each year. You can read more about why vaccination is safe and important by visiting MMR on the NHS website.

Reshare our content

The quickest way to share information about measles and MMR is by reposting our content on your social media channels. Use the links below to reshare:

Videos of NHS staff

Hear from local GPs, pharmacists and practice staff about why it’s important to get the MMR vaccine, when children should get their jab and how to catch up if you or your child has missed it. Pharmacist Sedina Agama also explains the different vaccines available for people who do not want pork products.

Information in key community languages

We’ve recorded information about measles and MMR in languages spoken in south west London, including Arabic, Bengali, French, Gujarati, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Somali, Sylheti (dialect Bangla), Tamil, and Urdu.