§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to improve measles immunisation rates as part of the World Health Organisation drive to eradicate the disease.
§ Mr. John MacKay:The United Kingdom endorses the World Health Organisation's expanded programme of 395W immunisation and undertakes, as public policy, the immunisations, including those against measles, it recommends.
The uptake of measles vaccination in Scotland has shown only slight improvement in recent years and is now about 54 per cent. in children under three years of age. The Scottish health education group has been supporting local campaigns designed to increase vaccine acceptance rates. With the assistance of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation my Department is keeping under review further ways in which the uptake can be increased.