Written question WQ91976

The MMR vaccination programme in Wales is highly effective; the most recent data from Public Health Wales (PHW) shows that 88.9% of 5-year-olds in Wales have had a full 2 dose course of MMR. However, measles is a highly virulent and potentially very dangerous disease, and our ambition is for the uptake figure amongst all school age children to reach the World Health Organisation target of 95%.

A Welsh Health Circular was issued last month requiring health boards to carry out targeted work to ensure 90% of pupils in every school in Wales are fully vaccinated by 31 July 2024. To support this, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer wrote to Local Authority Directors of Education, highlighting the risks posed by measles and seeking support for health boards in achieving the target. The letter also requested schools highlight to families the importance of being vaccinated, not only for health reasons, but to ensure students can continue to attend school, in the event measles is identified in the setting.

Alongside this, the Chief Medical Officer issued a public statement highlighting the increased risk of an outbreak if vaccination rates were not increased. To complement this national message, Public Health Wales has developed a communications plan to ensure the importance of MMR vaccination remains a focus in the coming months.