Fears Nottinghamshire people ‘don’t know how bad diseases are’ as vaccination rate falters

Only 86 per cent of children in the county have had the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to NHS figures – below the 95 per cent needed to suppress outbreaks.

Measles can cause serious health problems, including blindness, seizures and meningitis.

During a meeting on September 9, Nottinghamshire Council’s public health committee heard fears that residents had forgotten the dangers posed by the easily-preventable illnesses.

Coun Steve Carr (Ind) said vaccination rates were a ‘serious situation’ – particularly with measles.

He added: “The present generation has become sanitised from these illness.

“My parents’ generation grew up with these illnesses before vaccination – they knew people with diphtheria, whooping cough and measles.

“People don’t understand how bad they are any more.

“My cousin is deaf in one ear from measles as a child.

"My neighbour has currently had whooping cough for 120 days.

“If a child or baby gets it, it’s a big risk.

"It’s extremely important to get that message across.”

A measles outbreak spread across the West Midlands earlier this year, partly driven by low vaccination rates.

The MMR jab is freely available through the NHS.

Coun Scott Carlton (Con), cabinet member for communities and public health, said: “We saw in the pandemic how social media influenced attitudes to vaccination.

"There’s always the counter argument which can sometimes be misinformation.”

Vivienne Robbins, acting public health director, said it was particularly important for pregnant women to be protected, as measles can cause miscarriage or premature birth.

She added: “There can be tragic cases for young children.”

Coun Philip Owen (Con) said they were ‘continuing to see the adverse effect from the MMR controversy’, referring to a discredited study claiming that jab was linked to autism.

Despite being retracted long ago, it is credited as undermining trust in vaccinations for year.

Vaccination levels also vary across the county, with only 84 per cent of two-year-olds having had the MMR jabs in Nottingham.

Mansfield, Worksop and Newark also have lower uptake rates.

A total of 95 per cent of a population need to be vaccinated to provide ‘herd immunity’, which provides protection for those who are unable to be vaccinated themselves.