Students encouraged to protect themselves against meningitis and MMR

Dr Louise Clarke, clinical lead for young people for NHS Bradford district and Craven CCGs, said: “We strongly encourage young people in Bradford district and Craven to check they are up to date with their vaccinations, to keep themselves safe when they go to university. New students can be at a higher risk of infection because many of them mix closely with lots of people in confined environments. This can create hot spots for measles, mumps and meningococcal disease and present the perfect opportunity for the infection to spread.”

The MMR vaccine is available for free to anyone who has not received both doses as a child. If students are unsure, they can contact their GP practice to check and if they haven’t had two MMR doses, they should arrange a free catch up vaccination as soon as possible.

“We know that some students of university/college age may have missed out on their MMR when they were younger as MMR uptake was as low as 80% in 2003. This means that many young people remain unprotected,” adds Dr Clarke.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can sometimes lead to serious complications and can be fatal in very rare cases. Mumps is a contagious viral infection and although complications are rare, they can include swelling of the ovaries, swelling of the testes, aseptic meningitis and deafness.