08 May 2013
Parents of children who haven't received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are being invited to a free immunisation clinic at the General Hospital out-patients department on Saturday 11 May from 10am to 2pm.
The clinic is for children who previously missed either one or both MMR vaccination doses.
It's being held at a time when England and Wales are experiencing the highest level of measles cases for 18 years. The measles epidemic in Wales is continuing and the number of cases of measles in London between January and March doubled compared to the same period in 2012.
Jersey's Public Health team recently wrote to more than 500 parents of children in school years 5-8 whose records showed they had not received two MMR vaccine doses.
Jersey’s Head of Healthcare Programmes, Dr Linda Diggle said “We haven't seen any cases of measles in Jersey for some years but we aren't complacent - we always have children moving into Jersey from other areas and children, parents and our population are continually travelling to and from the UK, often via London, so we need to keep our children protected.
"Jersey has a very high MMR vaccine uptake among our under 5s, however this wasn’t always the case. Uptake of MMR vaccine in Jersey plummeted between 2002 and 2005. This was a direct result of adverse publicity in the national media. These children are now aged around 10-13.
“The special immunisation clinic is for school children who missed out, for whatever reason, on having MMR vaccination in the past, or who have had only one dose. No appointment is necessary, just turn up. The immunisation clinic is not available for adults. Adults who are concerned should talk with their GP."
Parents who attend the clinic are being asked to bring their child’s “Red Book”, the record of their child’s immunisations, if possible.
gov.je