The news that MMR uptake rates have improved, with 90% of two-year-olds in the UK having their first dose, is encouraging. But, before we start celebrating, the other news is that more cases of measles have been confirmed in the first five months of this year than in the whole of 2010. While it might seem contradictory that we're seeing lots of measles just as the highest MMR vaccine rates for 13 years are reached, it's not surprising. Most of the cases are among people aged 10-17 years; the vast majority of them never had the MMR vaccine. These are the children and young people whose parents were to afraid to give them MMR vaccine when they were young because they were worried that it might cause autism.
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