Parents urged to get children vaccinated (From Salisbury Journal)
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Parents urged to get children vaccinated
2:49pm Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Headlines
PARENTS are being reminded to check their children’s vaccinations are up to date, and whether they need any booster injections at the start of the school year.
Across the south west, thousands of children each year start school without full protection from communicable diseases such as measles, and the NHS is calling on parents to ensure their children are protected.
In the south west, almost 55,000 of just under 60,000 two year olds were immunised against measles, mumps and rubella, an uptake rate of over 90 per cent.
However, that percentage falls when it comes to having the booster jab at age five, with only 85 per cent of children having their second injection by their fifth birthday. Professor Yvonne Doyle, director of public health at NHS South of England, said: “It’s easy to miss reminders for the booster injections but absolutely vital that children do receive them to ensure they are adequately protected.
“It’s possible that parents may think that there is a defined time period during which their children should be vaccinated and that if that is missed, it is too late. But when it comes to vaccinations it really is a case of better late than never. Even if your child has missed a vaccination, or is older than the recommended age, it is not too late.”
Parents of children whose MMR vaccinations are not up to date are being encouraged to make an appointment at their GP surgery.
