MMR take-up in Ealing higher than most London boroughs

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But vaccination rates still lower than government targets

Concerns are growing that the continuing fall in the number of children taking the MMR vaccine could lead to the loss of herd immunity. The national rate of take up for the vaccine has fallen to 80% and for London as a whole it is now only 70%. Ealing, however, is bucking the London trend, with a take up of 81% of children immunised by their second birthdays.

In the Hounslow Primary Care Trust area the rate is 74% and Hammersmith and Fulham is seeing a take up of the vaccine of only 59%. Even Ealing's rate is well below the recommend level to ensure 'herd immunity'. The World Health Organisation says that 95% of children should be immunised to prevent outbreaks of disease.

Immunisation rates for MMR have fallen steadily since 1995 when research was published suggesting there may be a link between the jab and autism. At that point 92% of children were receiving it but, despite government reassurances and further research which dismisses the link with autism, the rate of immunisation is steadily falling.

The numbers do not include children who have received the single vaccines, so the actual level of immunisation may be higher. However, when you look at the figures for those who have had both first and second doese of MMR by the age of 5, the percentage drops to only 59%.

London has a much lower uptake of the vaccine than the rest of the country and has already started to see outbreaks of measles. Although measles is generally harmless to children complications can occur which make the disease life threatening, mumps can create problems of fertility in boys and rubella can be damaging to a foetus if the mother contracts the illness.

Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said: "A recent major study of UK children concluded that children who receive the MMR vaccine have no increased risk of autism than children who don't have the vaccine. This is consistent with numerous other studies from the UK and around the world."

Take-up rates for other vaccines are noticeably higher, with over 92- 94% of young children being vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough and meningitis C in Ealing.

September 27, 2004