Jacob PanonsBBC News, South East
Getty ImagesThe uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in Kent is below target, the county’s chief medical officer says.
By the end of March 2025, 85.3% of five-year-olds in Kent had received both doses of the vaccine. In Medway, the figure was slightly lower at 84.7%.
Health leaders are now urging parents and carers to check if their children have had both doses.
Dr Kate Langford, chief medical officer at NHS Kent and Medway, said uptake is “below the target of 95%”, adding: “We need parents and carers to take action now.”
Ms Langford added: “They may have concerns about the vaccine, they may have read things that are not right, but it is safe and effective.”
A 95% uptake is needed to prevent outbreaks occurring and to protect the population, according to the World Health Organization.
Measles is a highly contagious disease which is spread by coughs and sneezes and symptoms include a high temperature, runny or blocked nose, sneezing, coughing, and red, sore, watery eyes.
Dr Langford said: “It is vitally important parents take up all NHS vaccines they are offered, which are free and safe, to make sure their children have the best protection.”
Dr Anjan Ghosh, KCC’s director of public health, said: “We live in a world where advice is just a screen tap or swipe away, but so is misleading content and conspiracy theories that have no scientific basis.
“The fact is vaccines are our best defence against many infectious and potentially serious diseases like measles.”
Medway Council’s director of public health, Dr David Whiting, added: “Getting vaccinated means you are also helping protect others who can’t have the vaccine.
“This includes infants under one year, and people with weakened immune systems, who are at greater risk of serious illness and complications from measles.”