Libraries to be used as vaccination spots as council takes aim against low MMR jab rates

Libraries and community spaces are being transformed into vaccination spots for young people who did not get their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab as children as the number of measles cases rises.

Westminster council will be setting up regular pop-up vaccination spaces which will offer free vaccinations and immunisations as part of an NHS catch-up campaign to vaccinate children against the virus.

Vaccinations will be available at Westbourne Family Centre, in Royal Oak on March 21, followed by Bessborough Family Hub in Pimlico, on March 27.

The services will also offer adults health checks such as blood pressure and general health advice with no appointment necessary.

Despite a rise from last year, only 74 per cent of children in Westminster have received two doses of the MMR. 

Nationally, NHS data suggests that one in four children have not had both doses of MMR, falling short of their target of 95 per cent. 

Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause serious problems in some people. It usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

Rubella is a rare illness that causes a spotty rash. It usually gets better in about a week, but it can be serious in pregnancy.

Mumps is a contagious viral infection. It is most recognisable by the painful swellings in the side of the face under the ears, giving a person with mumps a distinctive ‘hamster face’ appearance.

The council has set up online resources with information about measles which can now be translated into more than 100 different languages.

Deputy leader and cabinet member for adult social care and public health, Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, said: “It is so important for all parents to make sure their children have had the relevant vaccinations so they can avoid becoming seriously ill and suffer long term complications.”

The move comes as part of a broad NHS initiative to vaccinate more than 900,000 people aged between 19 and 25 in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands after 733 cases of measles were reported in England since October last year. In comparison, just 53 cases were confirmed in all of 2022.

The young adults would have been eligible for a jab when the vaccination rates began to fall in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The number of children having the MMR vaccine started to decline following a 1998 report by the former physician Andrew Wakefield, who falsely linked the jab with autism, according to a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) 2023 measles briefing document.

Mr Wakefield was struck off the medical register after his claim was discredited.

Pictured top: A vaccination pop up held at Church Street Library (Picture: Westminster council)