September is here which means the back to school season is now upon us. Alongside it comes fears from healthcare professionals that we could see an outbreak of measles.
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00:00Are your kids up to date with missed vaccinations before they head back to school?
00:05Healthcare professionals are concerned that the return to the classroom could mean a surge
00:09in the number of measles cases and so are warning parents to ensure their children are
00:14fully vaccinated.
00:16Measles is a highly spreadable virus passed on through coughs and sneezes and can in some
00:20cases cause children to become very seriously ill.
00:24It only takes one case to get into a school or nursery where many children are unprotected
00:28for numbers to suddenly surge, Dr Vanessa Saliba from the UK Health Security Agency
00:33said.
00:34The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, saw a huge dip in uptake
00:39following the coronavirus pandemic, seeing a virus which was almost entirely extinct
00:44have a massive resurgence.
00:46Now uptake of the jab has seen an increase following outbreaks earlier this year, but
00:50medical experts say there's still work to be done.
00:52It's recommended children should have two MMR vaccine doses for best protection.
00:57One is offered on the NHS at the age of one and the next dose at three years and four
01:01months, but it's not too late to catch up if your child has fallen behind.