Parents urged to vaccinate children against MMR

England's parents are being called upon to make sure their children have received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Coinciding with European Immunisation Week, the call from Public Health England comes as the government seeks to ensure that the country meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) target of 95 percent coverage among two-year-olds.

Currently, the measles immunisation gap in England equates to approximately 24,000 children in England every year, or 2,000 a month, who are not currently receiving MMR vaccination at 12 months of age as scheduled.

The vaccine is offered routinely to infants in England as part of the NHS Childhood Immunisation Programme from 12 months of age, with a second dose offered at three years and four months of age.

Youngsters who miss out will remain susceptible to the diseases, but are still recommended to get the vaccine.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England, said: "This is an opportunity to consign measles to the history books. The cases we are seeing currently in England are being confirmed mainly in adolescents and young adults, and it's never too late for them to have the vaccine."