NHS England has today launched a campaign to encourage over 900,000 people aged 19 to 25 who have missed an appointment to have a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to get vaccinated.

NHSE said it is focusing its “catch-up campaign” this week on three areas, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and London, because those parts of the country are “more at risk due to the number of people who are not up to date with their MMR vaccinations.”

About 200,000 people aged 16 to 19 in those areas were last week sent reminders to get a vaccine after a million parents and carers of six to 11-years-olds were sent emails, letters and texts urging them to book an MMR vaccine appointment for their children. NHSE said thousands of invites have also been sent to parents and carers of children aged 11 to 16 years in London and the West Midlands.

Announcing the campaign on its website, NHSE said unvaccinated six to 25-year-olds can get an MMR vaccine “via their GP surgery” as well as in areas that run “pop-up vaccination clinics in libraries, university campuses, sports clubs and other convenient places.”

Earlier this month, officials at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said pharmacies were only “an option” for integrated care boards trying to increase uptake of childhood vaccines in their areas because parents were “more comfortable” having their children vaccinated in GP practices. According to the UKHSA, there were 733 cases of measles in England between October 2023 and March 7 2024.

There is no medical treatment for measles, which can cause blindness, deafness and swelling of the brain in adults and children and premature birth, low birth weight and still birth in pregnant women.

NHSE said health chiefs were urging anyone thinking about becoming pregnant to ensure their MMR vaccination status is up-to-date because the vaccine cannot be administered during pregnancy.

Two doses are needed for life-long protection, the first administered on or around a baby’s first birthday and the second given at around three years and four months.