Nine in 10 children under the age of two received the first dose
of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine between 2011 and 2012,
according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre
(HSCIC). The HSCIC said the level of uptake in England is at its
highest since 1997-98. However, MMR coverage is still falling
short on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) target of at
least 95% coverage. In London the figure is significantly lower,
with just 86.1% of children under two having the first MMR jab
in 2011-12. The uptake was highest in Thames Valley, Hampshire
and the Isle of Wight where 93.5% of children were vaccinated,
according to the HSCIC's NHS immunisation statistics report.
Children should receive their first dose of MMR vaccine between
12 and 13 months and then a second dose between three years,
four months and five years. The uptake of the vaccination
programme has varied over the last two decades. Many parents
shied away from giving their children the jab following the
publication of a potential li