PARENTS of youngsters who are preparing to start primary school are being urged to check if their children have received all their vaccines on schedule.

Public Health England Yorkshire and the Humber is warning that around 7,000 five-year-olds in the region may not be fully up-to-date with some routine immunisations that are routinely offered at three years of age. These worrying estimates, released as part of PHE’s Value of Vaccines campaign, show that some four and five-year-olds are starting school at unnecessary risk of serious diseases compared to the majority of their classmates, prompting a call for parents to check their child’s Red Book to ensure their children are up-to-date with scheduled immunisations.

In the UK, dose one of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, is usually given to infants at around 12 months of age. A second dose is given before school, usually at three years and four months of age, to ensure best protection. Two doses of MMR in a lifetime are needed for a person to be considered fully protected. The four-in-one pre-school booster is also usually offered at three years and four months of age and protects against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio.

Dr Sally Eapen Simon, screening and immunisation lead at Public Health England Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “It’s a real concern that so many young children in our region could be starting school without the full protection that the NHS childhood immunisation programme offers for free. We know that parents want the best protection for their children and so many may be unaware that their child is not up-to-date. We’re urging all parents of primary school starters to check their child’s Red Book now to make sure there is a record of two MMR doses and the four-in-one booster vaccine. If not, parents should contact their GP practice to arrange any further vaccinations that are needed.

“We’re particularly concerned about children being at greater risk of measles. We’ve seen outbreaks of this disease in Yorkshire and the Humber in the past year and we’re continuing to see outbreaks of the disease occurring in communities across the country, many linked to visiting European countries over the summer holidays. The vast majority of those affected are not fully immunised and vaccine preventable diseases spread more easily in schools. It’s crucial that children have maximum protection as they begin to mix with other children at the start of their school journey.

“We often think that these diseases are confined to the past, but the World Health Organisation has recently confirmed that measles is no longer eliminated in England. Whilst tetanus and polio are still rare thanks to the success of the NHS childhood immunisation programme, over the past few years we’ve also seen cases of whooping cough and diphtheria in school-aged children.”

To check that your child has received all their vaccines on schedule, go to www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them/ and refer to your child’s Red Book. If in any doubt, contact your GP practice.