PARENTS in north Essex are to be encouraged to ensure their children have the MMR jab.

Figures released by North East Essex Primary Care Trust show that in Tendring and Colchester the uptake is only about 80 per cent.

Health experts said it must be about 90 to 95 per cent to properly protect the population.

Now a study is to be launched into ways to increase uptake.

Essex County Council's East Essex Area Forum will receive a report tomorrow which asks it to look into the issue.

The report suggests setting up a working party to look at why the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has a low uptake.

A spokesman for Essex County Council said: "There is a lower than average take up of the MMR vaccine in the Colchester area.

"Measles, mumps and rubella are all potentially serious infections and it is important that, with the support of the PCT, every effort is made to turn this position around."

Debbie Saban, health improvement specialist in screening and immunisation, said all children should receive two doses of the vaccine before they go to school.

She said: "We want to give people lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella and you need two doses to do that.

"The uptake in north Essex isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it still isn't good either.

"Most parents seem to think one dose is enough, and so now we have a lot of people leaving school who haven't had two doses.

"We need to target these people, but getting the vaccine before going to school is much better."

She said parents should not worry about the MMR vaccine causing autism because a number of studies have shown there is no link.