The NHS is failing to protect children from measles, with vaccination rates in some parts of England now comparable to those in Afghanistan and Malawi. This alarming trend has sparked calls for major reform in how MMR jabs are delivered. Public health specialists warn that outbreaks like the one in north London are inevitable when fewer than 60% of five-year-olds in some areas have received both recommended doses of the MMR vaccine. The situation in Enfield, where 60 children have contracted measles and 15 have been hospitalized, highlights the urgent need for action. The MMR vaccination rate in Enfield is only 64.3%, lower than the 69.3% rate in Malawi and just above Afghanistan's 62% rate. The World Health Organization advises a 95% rate. The outbreak has reignited public and medical anxiety about unvaccinated children getting measles, which can damage the brain and lungs and in some cases lead to meningitis, blindness, or even death. Five "catch-up clinics" have been set up in local community centers to vaccinate children who missed out on either one or both doses of the MMR vaccine. NHS England has been accused of complacency for its failure to halt a decade-long decline in the number of five-year-old children fully vaccinated, from 88.2% to 83.7%. Ministers are under pressure to allow pharmacies to start administering MMR jabs to infants, supplementing the immunisation programs already run by GP surgeries and schools. In England, GP staff, mainly practice nurses, deliver the first and second doses of MMR to children at 12 and 18 months. Schools also play a key role by hosting catch-up events for unvaccinated and under-vaccinated pupils. Ben Coleman, a Labour MP on the Commons health and social care select committee, said the long-term decline in MMR uptake and the growing number of measles outbreaks show the system is failing. He called for pharmacies, which families often visit, to be utilized as a resource, as they could provide the 95% coverage the WHO insists on. A child died of measles last summer at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool, amid an increase in cases in the city. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which represents specialist children's doctors, supports the idea of pharmacies taking on a role in vaccination rollout. Prof. Steve Turner, its president, believes this change would make it faster and easier for parents to get their children vaccinated. The National Pharmacy Association also backs the call, emphasizing the need for urgent review of the current system by the NHS. Helen Bedford, a vaccination expert and professor of child health at University College London, suggests pharmacies could help supplement NHS efforts to improve MMR uptake, especially in schools that don't participate in catch-up campaigns. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has not indicated whether pharmacies will start delivering MMR jabs. Superdrug has said it would start providing MMR jabs if asked. Prof. Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at Oxford University, warns of the risk of further spread in communities with low vaccination rates, which could lead to another explosive outbreak. He emphasizes the importance of vaccinating 'enough' people to stop the spread of the virus. A spokesperson for the DHSC urges anyone not yet vaccinated against MMR to do so as soon as possible, not only for their protection but also for those around them. The government has introduced measures to improve uptake, such as allowing children to have their second dose of MMR sooner and adding chickenpox protection to the childhood program with the MMRV vaccine. Low vaccination rates leave communities vulnerable, and the government is taking urgent action with partners across London to boost MMR uptake and safeguard children's health.
