HSCC Chair comments on vaccination and measles outbreak

Responding to today’s Ministerial Statement on the declaration of a national incident following the recent surge in measles cases, Health and Social Care Committee Chair Steve Brine MP said:

“It is deeply concerning to see warnings about the potential spread of measles against the backdrop of known and falling levels of vaccination. Our report to government last year should have been a wake-up call.

“The government’s long-awaited vaccination strategy, when it finally came, picked up on a number of our recommendations. In particular, the need for a more flexible delivery model to overcome practical challenges in getting protection to the right people at the right time and in the right place. With warnings of the risk of a spread of measles cases, there must be a real drive now to reach communities where the vaccination message might not have got through. The government must now commit to that flexible delivery model, including through pharmacy.”