MMR uptake rates finally recovered from Wakefield scandal figures show MMR uptake rates were the highest ever in 1995/6 when 91.8 per cent of children received the jab. However even these levels fall short of the recommendation from the World Health Organisation that 95 per cent of children receive the jab to provide 'herd immunity' in which a critical mass of the population have been immunised to stop outbreaks of the diseases and protect vulnerable children who cannot have the jab. Coverage improved in all regions of England with the highest rates in South Central area with 93.5 per cent uptake compared to the lowest in London with 86.1 per cent. Children receive one dose of MMR at around 12 or 13 months of age and then a second between the ages of three and five years. Uptake rates also rose for the five-in-one jab given to small babies from 94.2 per cent in 2010/11 to 94.7 per cent last year. Coverage for the pneumococcal vaccine which protects against a range of bacteria that can cause ear infections, blood poisoning, pneumonia and some forms of meningitis, also passed 90 per cent for the first time. Official figures from the Health Protection Agency show there were 112 cases of measles in 1996, along with 94 cases of mumps and 3922 cases of rubella in England and Wales. There was a mumps epidemic in the mid-200s with cases peaking in 2005 at 43,378, meanwhile measles cases rose to 1370 in 2008 and there is still an ongoing outbreak in Liverpool. Prof Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics, University of Bristol, said: "The continuing upward trend in MMR uptake in young children all over the country is very encouraging, but we are not out of the trees yet. Measles cases are still occurring at much higher levels than previously. There are a lot of older children of different ages out there who missed one or both MMR doses over the last 15 years and they are vulnerable and able to pass the infection on to others. Measles is extremely infectious and only with continuous vaccine uptake rates at 95 per cent and above over many years can it come under effective control. We also need to keep our eyes open for cases of mumps and rubella and congenital rubella going forward. Any parents who decided against MMR in the past should now reconsider having their children immunised and contact their GP. Dr Helen Bedford, Senior Lecturer in Children's Health, at the Paediatric Epidemiology Unit, at the University College London Institute of Child Health, said: "It is good news that parents have regained their confidence in this highly effective vaccine. However, some teenagers and children have never caught up with missed vaccines and remain at risk of these potentially harmful infections. It is never too late to have the two doses of MMR vaccine needed to protect against measles, mumps and rubella which can be more severe in adulthood. Dr David Elliman, Immunisation Specialist of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "This is great news. It means that most babies/infants are now being fully immunised. However, because MMR is so infectious it is necessary to have very high uptake of the vaccine to stop spread of the disease, hence the WHO recommendation that we need 95 per cent uptake. There are still large numbers of older children who have not had two doses of MMR and we are seeing the results of this in terms of relatively high rates of measles cases. It's important to emphasise that it is never too late to catch up. HSCIC chief executive Tim Straughan said: "Our annual figures have tracked the course of immunisation coverage for several vaccines for children over the years including that for Measles Mumps and Rubella. Today's report marks a significant point in the continued rise of MMR coverage since it hit a low in 2003-04 - as for the first time in 14 years nine out of 10 children in England have had the MMR vaccine before they turn two. However although MMR coverage at two years has risen in all regions of England, and overall the country's coverage has increased in recent years, the national figure remains below the World Health Organization (WHO) target of at least 95 per cent.