Around a million families are being urged to protect their children against the spread of measles and other potentially deadly childhood illnesses, as part of a new NHS vaccination drive from July 2026.
Children aged from 12-months to 11 years old who have missed one or both doses of the vaccine, will be invited as part of the NHS England’s campaign which runs until March next year.
In addition to measles, mumps and rubella, children aged under 6 years old will be offered protection against chickenpox (Varicella) with the MMRV vaccine. Older children will be invitedto catch up on missed MMR vaccines.
Parents of children aged under six will be contacted by their local GP. Families with children aged between six and 11 will be invited by the NHS throughSMS, email or letter.
Figures published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show there were over 800 cases of measles in the first half of 2026 and two reported deaths, compared to 959 cases for the whole of 2025.
There have been clusters of measles cases reported in areas of the country, with every region of England seeing cases.
Contact your GP Practice to check if your child has missed any MMR or MMRV vaccines and make an appointment to catch up.
