Parents warned unvaccinated children 'are at risk'

Health chiefs in Kent are asking parents and carers to ensure their children have not missed vaccines

Health chiefs in Kent and Medway are urging parents and carers to make sure children catch up on missed vaccinations.

It comes after UK health officials warned of a rise in cases of measles amid the new school term.

Uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the local authority areas is lower than the recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr Kate Langford, chief medical officer at NHS Kent and Medway, said unvaccinated children "are at risk of getting seriously ill and spreading illness onto others".

She added: “If you or your child have missed a vaccine, it is never too late to check and get up-to-date.”

By the end of March, 86% of five-year-olds in Kent had both doses of MMR, while the proportion for Medway was 82% during the same period.

Measles outbreak

This is below the 95% recommendation from the WHO.

Children need both doses of the vaccine to be fully protected.

Kent County Council's director of public health, Dr Anjan Ghosh, said vaccination rates needed to increase "if we are to prevent a measles outbreak".

“One in five children who catch measles need hospital care and, on rare occasions, it can claim lives – yet two doses of MMR gives life-long protection," he said.

Vaccinations can be administered through GP practices, school vaccination programmes or one of Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust's community clinics.