Schools should be presented with MMR jab certificates before pupils can start, MP says

Britain recently lost its ‘measles-free’ status with the World Health Organisation

Just 87 per cent of children have the full dose of the MMR jab, a decline on previous years (iStock/Getty)

Primary schools should be presented with measles, mumps and rubella jab certificates before pupils are allowed to start, a Labour MP has said.

This measure would save children’s lives and wouldn’t cost the Department for Education a penny, said Barry Sheerman while speaking in the Commons.

The Huddersfield MP’s comments came as senior doctors called for primary schools to ban pupils who have not had the MMR vaccine.

Parents should be required to prove that their four and five-year-olds have received their two doses of the vaccine before their children can attend, the GPs wrote in a letter to ministers.

The four leading GPs from London wrote to health secretary Matt Hancock and education secretary Gavin Williamson to ask for urgent action to address a rise in measles cases in the UK.

Mr Sheerman said on Monday: “It doesn’t cost any money at all to save children’s lives from the measles epidemic by making every school see a certificate of an MMR vaccination before they get to the school.”

Schools minister Nick Gibb said it was important that children are protected against the measles.

Mr Gibb said: “He is right about MMR and it is very important that parents do vaccinate their children.”

He added: “There is a lot of information about the safety of the MMR vaccine from the NHS and we would encourage parents to look at that information before making a decision.”

The letter from GPs, seen by The Guardian, said: “Schools need to check that all their pupils have been vaccinated. In other countries, certificates of vaccination are required prior to school entry.

“Here in the UK, we could mandate that all children need to be vaccinated by a health professional, allowing for exemptions for either conscientious objection or medical contraindication.”

The signatories include Sir Sam Everington, the chair of London’s 32 NHS clinical commissioning groups, Dr Mohini Parmar, Dr Andrew Parson and Dr Josephine Sauvage.

The UK recently lost its “measles-free” status from the World Health Organisation (WHO), three years after the virus was eliminated, following a fall in the number of children getting the MMR jab.

Last month, Boris Johnson unveiled a campaign to stop the spread of misleading anti-vaxx information and to boost the number of children being vaccinated.

Parents will be offered new evidence-based advice to address their concerns about jabs and to correct false information about the dangers of vaccinations, the prime minister said.

Just 87 per cent of children have the full dose of the MMR jab, a decline on previous years, which Downing Street says may be linked to the spread of measles.

Mr Johnson called for health leaders to renew their efforts to ensure 95 per cent have had both doses of the MMR vaccine.

In May this year, Mr Hancock said people who spread myths about the harms of vaccines have “blood on their hands” – and refused to rule out compulsory immunisations.

While the health secretary downplayed suggestions that it would be made illegal not to vaccinate children, he said it could be considered if stalling immunisation rates are not addressed.

France, the most vaccine-sceptical nation in the world, where a third of people believe the jabs are unsafe, last year made routine vaccination compulsory.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told The Independent: “We are not convinced that requiring primary schools to check on the MMR vaccinations of pupils before admitting them is the right way to address this issue.

“It could backfire and alienate parents. We would prefer to see a concerted public information campaign.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We have a world-leading vaccination programme and uptake remains very high at around 90 per cent for most childhood vaccines, including MMR.

“We are committed to driving up uptake rates further and our new vaccination strategy will draw together concerted efforts across the health system.”