NHS Borders is actively identifying children who have not received certain vaccines in a bid to keep measles cases down.

Following guidance from Public Health Scotland (PHS) last week, after the national body had announced a second case of lab-confirmed measles, NHS Borders is appealing for anyone with children who have not received either of their vaccinations to get immunised.

Families identified by the health board will also be contacted directly and offered appointments.

An NHS Borders spokesperson said: "To protect our communities and help prevent the spread of measles, we are proactively identifying children who have not yet received one or both doses of the MMR vaccine.

"Identified families will be contacted directly and offered a vaccination appointment.

"In addition, we have increased the frequency of our social media messaging regarding measles and have added a dedicated FAQs section about measles to our NHS Borders website."

Since October 2023 PHS has reported two cases of lab-confirmed measles.

Measles can cause serious conditions, including pneumonia and encephalitis.

The MMR vaccine is usually first given when a child is between 12-13 months, with the second dose given when the child is then three years and four months old.

If the vaccinations are not taken up at these times, however, they can be administered at any time.

Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, head of vaccination and immunisation at PHS said: “As measles cases continue to increase across other parts of the UK and Europe, we’re working with health boards to ensure that as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.

"Two doses are needed to give full protection.”

PHS also shared how UK-wide uptake of the MMR vaccine had been in decline in recent years, which was contributing to the risk of infection for un-vaccinated or partially vaccinated people.

However, NHS Borders has reported as having a "high uptake" of the vaccine, which has remained "stable".

Their spokesperson added: "NHS Borders continues to have a high uptake of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Our figures are consistent with the previous 10 years and have remained relatively stable showing minimal variation.

Anyone wanting further information on measles and the MMR vaccine should visit NHS Inform or visit the dedicated measles FAQ page on NHS Borders' website.