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In Birmingham, efforts to combat resurging measles cases have involved an intensive outreach campaign, exemplified by nurse Lorna Grinnell-Moore’s role in contacting families whose children missed their MMR vaccinations. Despite encountering hostility and conspiracy theories during these calls, Lorna and her team remain committed to persuading hesitant parents to immunise their children. The outbreak, primarily affecting children under ten, has prompted the NHS and local partners to make thousands of phone calls; following a spike in late 2023, they reached out 13,000 times in three months, resulting in nearly 1,000 additional vaccinations.
The city’s response has included mobilising retired healthcare professionals, similar to strategies seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this time their focus shifted from administering vaccines to encouraging uptake through direct conversations. The team prioritised repeated, respectful engagement with families, often speaking in multiple languages such as French, Italian, Arabic, and Urdu to overcome communication barriers. This approach recognises the importance of understanding each individual’s concerns rather than adopting a confrontational stance, with Lorna emphasizing that the goal is not to be “the bossy matron” but to listen carefully and provide clear answers.
Beyond telephone outreach, Birmingham’s joint incident management team has coordinated a wider public health campaign involving advertising and community group collaborations. These efforts led to a significant increase in vaccinations during 2024, with figures showing a 20% rise in MMR uptake compared to the previous year and over 7,000 additional doses administered. Special attention has been given to groups with historically lower vaccination rates, including Roma, East European, South Asian, and Black communities, by expanding multilingual educational resources and offering face-to-face consultations through local GP practices like Hall Green Health.
Despite these gains, challenges persist. Vaccination levels in 2025 have declined toward previous lows, keeping the city below the 95% coverage required for herd immunity. Dr Sonia Ashraf of Hall Green Health highlights complex factors fueling vaccine hesitancy, from concerns over pork gelatine content—addressable by gelatine-free alternatives—to lingering misinformation stemming from discredited research linking MMR to autism. University College London child health expert Professor Helen Bedford notes that accessibility issues and diminished public confidence, partly a fallout from mixed messaging during the Covid pandemic, also play significant roles. Nevertheless, Bedford remains hopeful, stating that most people are not entirely opposed to vaccination and that through sustained effort and investment, immunisation rates can be improved
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