THE proportion of five-year-olds having both MMR jabs in Gloucestershire is below target despite a rise in immunisation rates.

The latest Public Health England figures for 2017-18 show that 90 per cent of five-year-olds had received both MMR jabs before their fifth birthday, up from 87 per cent the previous year.

This means that 323 five-year-olds in the area are unprotected against highly-contagious measles.

The target set by the World Health Organisation, is 95 per cent and experts have said the uptake of the jab across England, where 87.2 percent of five-year-olds have had both jabs, is ‘worryingly low’.

The MMR jab is a 3-in-1 vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. It is given to young children in two doses - the first at 12 months, and the second around three years.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the British Society for Immunology are concerned about children getting the first jab, but not the second.

Of the 7,356 five-year-olds living in Gloucestershire, 7,033 had the first MMR jab, and 6,624 had both jabs.

That means in addition to those with no protection, 409 children missed out on the second dose of MMR and will only be partially protected.

One in 10 children will not be protected against measles after the first dose alone. After the second, that falls to one in a hundred.

Chief executive of The British Society for Immunology Dr Doug Brown said: “One in 10 people unprotected simply just isn’t good enough.Vaccination is one of the few miracles of modern medicine. It is one of the safest and most cost-effective methods we have to prevent disease.”

The Royal College’s immunisation expert Dr David Elliman said that a lack of awareness around the importance of getting both jabs, rather than a decision by the parents, could be causing children to miss the second dose.

Dr Elliman said: “The best solution is GPs sending regular reminders to parents, and all GPs should make sure they have an efficient reminder system in place.”

He added that anyone who has missed the MMR vaccine can still get it for free at their GP.

“But even healthy children can get nasty measles and die from it,” he added. “A third of measles cases will end up in the hospital.”

Public Health England said that they are working closely with the NHS and general practice staff to improve uptake.

PHE’s Dr Michael Edelstein said: “We are seeing small reductions in uptake for most of the childhood vaccines, which is why we continue to encourage all parents to get the best protection for their children by ensuring they are fully immunised.”

The British Society for Immunology is calling on the Government and the NHS to conduct a review of immunisation rates, to learn from the areas that are doing well and apply that to the rest of the country.