This House of Lords Library Briefing focuses on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab. It looks at social media’s role in the spread of misinformation, what the UK Government and social media companies have pledged to do about it, and what other countries are doing to solve declining rates of MMR vaccination.
Falling Vaccination Rates: The Case of the MMR Jab (291 KB , PDF)
In recent years vaccination rates have declined both domestically and internationally. The World Health Organisation has listed vaccine hesitancy as one of its ten threats to global health.
This briefing focuses on falling rates for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Cases of measles worldwide have increased in recent years. Four out of the six world regions experienced a significant measles outbreak in 2018, while the UK recently lost its measles-free status.
Misinformation about the risks of vaccination remain a major factor in declining MMR vaccination rates. The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has previously criticised social media companies over the spread of misinformation on their platforms. Some social media companies, including Facebook, have announced plans to tackle the spread of vaccine misinformation. Other reasons found for vaccine hesitancy include difficulty accessing vaccination services, a complacency about the risks of measles and the perceived cost of vaccinations.
In August 2019, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a series of measures to increase vaccination rates. These included urging GPs to write to patients promoting catch-up MMR vaccination programmes and the strengthening of local immunisation coordinators. The Conservative Party manifesto for the 2019 general election also promised a national vaccination strategy to tackle declining MMR rates.
Falling Vaccination Rates: The Case of the MMR Jab (291 KB , PDF)
The government recently announced an independent review of physician and anaesthesia associates to be led by Professor Gillian Leng. This announcement followed a debate about the use of the roles in the NHS and concerns raised by some stakeholders about patient safety. The review has been widely welcomed by stakeholders as a way to move the debate forward.
Fracture liaison services proactively identify people at risk of fractures caused by osteoporosis. Patients can then be assessed and treated to prevent future fractures. The provision of fracture liaison services in England has been called a ‘postcode lottery’ by the Royal Osteoporosis Society, and evidence shows variation in quality and reach. The government has committed to 100% coverage by 2030.
The Mental Health Bill [HL] is a government bill that would amend the Mental Health Act 1983. The 1983 act is the current legislation that regulates the compulsory detention and treatment of those with a mental disorder in England and Wales. There have long been calls to update the legislation, and in 2017 there was an independent review of the Mental Health Act. In 2022 the previous Conservative government published a draft Mental Health Bill. The current bill is similar (but not identical) to the draft bill and it would implement many of the recommendations of the 2017 independent review. Changes proposed in the bill include tightening the detention criteria in the 1983 act and providing for more frequents reviews; limiting the period that people with autism or a learning disability can be detained; and removing prisons and police stations as “places of safety” in the act. This briefing provides a summary of the background to the bill, the bill’s provisions, and the differences from the 2022 draft bill.
![Mental Health Bill [HL]: HL Bill 47 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Health-568x426.png)