Young people unaware of measles, mumps and rubella risk

The survey, which was conducted on 1,001 young people aged 16 to 18, has found that over one-third of participants did not believe that measles, mumps and rubella can affect them and more than three-quarters were unaware that mumps can cause deafness and swelling of the brain.
 
Department of Health director of immunisation Professor David Salisbury said: "Many young people feel that they are not in danger of catching measles, mumps and rubella, yet because older teenagers will be among those who were not routinely offered the MMR vaccination in childhood, we are seeing a high number of cases, particularly of mumps, within this age group."
 
Last year, there were 2,224 confirmed cases of mumps among 15- to 19-year-olds in England and Wales between January and November.
 
The survey also found that nearly a quarter of young people could not recall whether or not they had received the MMR vaccination.
 
Salisbury said: "It is a concern that so many are unsure about whether they've been vaccinated and I would encourage them to seek advice from their practice nurse or GP."
 
Some young people said that they had avoided vaccinations on purpose, with nearly a quarter of participants saying they were afraid of needles and one in 10 disliking going to the doctors.