Children who haven't had their vaccinations could be kept out of school, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has cautioned.
The Health Secretary says that he is considering the move as Unicef data reveals that over half a million children in the UK have not had the MMR vaccination.
The MMR vaccination protects against measles, mumps and rubella. A child has the first vaccination aged between 12 to 15 months old, and they have a booster jab at 15 months to six years old.
Cases of measles have risen almost four-fold in England over the past year, and the Health Secretary could be considering drastic action.
Advert
Mr Hancock also hit out at fake stories during his appearance on TalkRadio, blaming social media for the spread of the anti-vaccination movement.
"I'm not relaxed about this at all," said Mr Hancock. "One of the things I am particularly worried about is the spread of anti-vaccination messages online."
He reiterated: "Vaccination is safe, it's very, very important for the public health - for everybody's health - and we're going to tackle it."
Radio host Julia Hartley-Brewer asked Mr Hancock if banning children from school's if they haven't been vaccinated was an option, following in the footsteps of France and the US, where similar policies exist.
Advert
He replied: "I wouldn't rule out anything but I don't think we're there yet.
"In America they tried to do this and the courts stopped them so it can be complicated, but really it's people's responsibility as a parent to do the right thing - the right thing for their own children as well as, of course, the right of the community that everybody lives in."
The Health Secretary has revealed that he is meeting with social media companies on Monday to demand they take down anti-vaccination messages.
Advert
He said: "I have called in the social media companies, like we had to with self-harming images a few months ago.
"I'm seeing them on Monday to require that they do more to take down lies that are promoted on social media about the impact of vaccination."
Theresa May's official spokesman said: "I haven't seen anyone suggesting that," when asked whether children shouldn't be allowed in school if they have not been vaccinated.
They added: "The overall risk of measles to the UK population is very low. The World Health Organisation said the UK achieved measles elimination status as recently as 2017.
Advert
"Overall vaccine uptake is also very high, at over 90%, but we are continuously working to drive up immunisation rates.
"We are reviewing the slight decline in uptake as part of the long-term plan for the NHS to push coverage even higher and Public Health England are developing new campaigns about the benefits of immunisation."
According to Unicef estimations, 169 million children worldwide missed the first dose of the measles jab between 2010 and 2017.
And uptake of both jabs have fallen in England for the fourth year running - there were 259 cases of measles in England, which rose to 966 in 2018.
Advert
The NHS says that: "Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and sometimes lead to serious complications."
It's highly infectious and can lead to serious health complications, including lung, eye and brain infections.
A government spokesperson said: "We ask schools to check what immunisations a child has had when they join a school but our guidance clearly states that schools cannot refuse admission or exclude a pupil because they have not been immunised.
"Overall uptake of childhood vaccinations is over 90%.
"While not compulsory, it is important everyone takes up the vaccinations they are entitled to, so we are focused on ensuring parents and children know the facts about their benefits and on working with social media companies to stop the spread of misinformation around vaccinations.
"We are also reviewing how to improve vaccine uptake overall as part of our Long Term Plan for the NHS."
Featured Image Credit: PA